F-Zero --Seppuku : Part 1 of 3
by Siontix
Summary: Chiya Flower, a troubled young girl enduring the life of a low-class citizen, hopes to be an F-Zero racer one day, but her life is changed after she meets Lieutenant Seppuku, a dark-styled man who has a lust for exterminating criminals. For non-F-Zero fans, I recommend looking up pictures of the characters as you read. Alternatively see my drawings of them on Deviantart at Siontix
1. Lap 1

==LAP 1==

Mute City, likely the most populated Metropolis on Earth. Mute City was soon to host the first race for the annual F-Zero Grand Prix, days remained until it would begin. Many taverns and secreted gambling parlors were opening up shop for the upcoming race, which would bring in many fans to watch and drink. Many have tried turning their vehicles into F-Zero machines, most of them fail, and those that succeed normally trash their machine, or die attempting various sharp turns. Notable racers who have perfected the handling of F-Zero machines are such as: Rick Wheeler, Captain Falcon, Black Shadow, and Samurai Goroh. Captain Falcon earned himself the most fame of all others however due to his mysterious persona and career, he was the fan-favorite.

A young woman was walking down in the lower part of Mute City, where only the poor and scum roamed. She was carrying a heavy package, which was nearly as large as her. The young woman had passed by a small alley where two men were smoking. She had noticed them, without directly looking at them she picked up the pace. One of the men took the others cigarette out of their mouth and tossed it on the ground. One of the men whispered something into the others ear and they both grinned. The young woman suddenly noticed that they had began stalking her closely. She started toying around with her light gold hair trying to calm herself. She rounded a corner hoping it was just a coincidence that they were behind her, but it wasn't, as they rounded the corner as well. She turned around one more corner of a building when one of the men finally ran in front of her.

"Say, where are you off to in such a hurry?" the man asked smiling deviously.

The other man had caught up with the two and walked to the side of the woman, she could smell the scent of alcohol in the mans words.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I really need to get somewhere before it gets too late" she said trying to act polite.

The two looked at each other, then began laughing at her, making her feel uncomfortable.

"You really should have a man accompanying you little girl, maybe if you gave us your address we could escort you home."

"That won't be necessary." she said smiling with her eyes closed.

An awkward moment of silence occurred, they were definitely up to something. Both were just staring at her, waiting for her to either speak again or do something, but she was waiting for the two to leave.

"So toots, how about taking your top off?" the man said taking a shot in the dirt.

Her eyes widened instantly, "No thank you!"

"Here lets get that off of you, get the box out of her hands…" the man to the left threw the box she was holding, roughly landing on the sidewalk.

"You idiot!" she yelled landing a punch straight into his face.

He was quickly knocked to his knees, scraping his legs greatly. "Damnit! I'm sick of this!"

They both pulled out pocket knives and the one in front of her grabbed her arm, "Get your hands off of me you pigs!" she screamed.

She was trapped in the mans arms, he was much stronger than his counterpart who had been punched. The man got up, his eyes were leaking, and pants now ripped down the knees, he raised his knife above the collar of her shirt, tearing it down slowly. She closed her eyes, struggling to escape without getting killed, she found her situation hopeless however. Her bra was now revealed, the perverts both smiling with their mouths opened prepared to remove it.

"I'm surprised trash is still on the streets by Thursday nights" said a mysterious voice.

The two men paused what they were doing and looked around, searching for the anonymous voice surrounding them.

"Usually by Thursday morning the garbage truck picks up trash as yourselves..."

"Where the Hell are you?" demanded the man holding the woman.

No response came after his question, and they continued looking around, ultimately seeing nothing. "-the hell with it, lets continue!" the man said trying to score on the girl.

Suddenly the man holding her had found that a splash of blood had hit his shirt. "What the-"

The man that was tearing her clothes off had a bullet in his neck, he fell down dead momentarily after getting shot. The man holding her looked up, gasping at the sight of a figure with a rifle on the roof. The figure stood in front of the moon, the man was perfectly silhouetted by the moon, what was visible that he was wearing a large coat, a scarf, and a sharply trimmed fedora.

"Dude you just killed him!" the man holding the woman yelled.

The figure leaped onto the ground, landing on his feet somehow perfectly, "I get tired of your kind making humanity look like a group of wild animals, I've been dealing with your type for years, and if you're a wild animal, then I'm the hunter."

The man holding her began trembling at the intimidating man, the young woman took the opportunity to slip out of his grasp, immediately leaping around the mysterious man for cover, the criminal dropped his dagger, surrendering out of fear.

"I strongly recommend moving your 'operations' to another sector of this city, this one is under my control."

The criminal shut his eyes and growled, "Fine, but I better not find the cops at my door tomorrow or I'll…"

The criminal was trying to find an intimidating threat to make at the man, but he realized that he had no threats to make that could possibly scare him, so he ran away while he still could. The mysterious figure made no attempt to chase or shoot him.

The woman covered up her nearly revealed chest, "Thank you, I th-"

"Did they hurt you at all?" he asked.

"No, they didn't, but they held me very roughly."

He grabbed the box off the ground and handed it back to her, "this seems somewhat heavy for someone like you, mind me asking what's inside?"

"Uh, well…it's silly." she said laughing with her eyes shut.

The man pressed something he was holding in his hand, suddenly a noise could be heard coming their way, she wanted to see what it was before leaving. Suddenly a very fast vehicle stopped in front of them, but it had no passenger. The vehicle appeared to be made for only one passenger, this was no ordinary vehicle. The number _47_ was seen on the side of the vehicle and the words _Red Dove_.

"It's an F-Zero machine!" she blurted out astonished.

"Yep."

The man seemed to have no interest in sticking around, and had began walking towards his F-Zero machine.

"Wait sir…" she said bringing the box to him.

The man stopped, and turned around looking at the package she was bringing over.

"I think you need this more than I do" she said handing the box over to the man.

He carefully opened the box looking inside, the box contained an F-Zero engine, which appeared to be custom made.

"Consider it a gift for sav-"

"This is a class C engine, it would only slow me down."

She felt crushed having her gift denied, and began shaking after having the box handed back to her.

"You're wrong, I don't need it… but perhaps you could indeed use it yourself."

He got inside of his vehicle, looking back at her, he then pulled out a pistol and threw it to her, the girl barely caught it, also holding her large box.

"Carry this from now on, I think those two planned on doing things other than kill you."

The girl moved her eyes to the side, half shut. "I will sir, may I ask what your name is?"

He hesitated to answer, looking away from her, "Lieutenant Seppuku."

"Oh great, my name is-"

He had drove off almost immediately after saying his name, clearly wanting nothing else from her.

"Chiya Flower" she muttered, watching him drive away quickly.

TO BE CONTINUED!


	2. Lap 2

==LAP 2==

The young woman, Chiya Flower, found herself laying on a mattress in a trash covered room. She brushed her hair away from her eyes and got up. It had then occurred to her where she was, she was home. She was a young person in her twenties without a job, but she had such high hopes that good was yet to come, for the time being she lived in an abandoned warehouse. She got off of the mattress and went into a restroom, the mirror inside was still surprisingly clean. She was fixing her hair up and then realized that her shirt was still ripped open.

"What an awful night…" she moaned to herself.

Chiya changed her shirt, now wearing a blank grey shirt. Chiya's usual clothing was a dark green stock hat, purple shorts, and leather boots. Before leaving the warehouse, she had noticed the box she brought back with her, she had brought back an F-Zero engine, but the man she met yesterday stated that it was no good to him. _Does this mean that it's just trash? _She pondered. She set that thought aside as she had just remembered something, the F-Zero season was about to start today, the grand opening to the grand prix was to start in Mute City later in the night. F-Zero was without a doubt the main concern in Mute City, Chiya was one of the many fascinated fans, in F-Zero anything can happen, it is the one place where the most evil of people can compete without police interfering. Racers like Captain Falcon use the races as a way to fight crime on the track, as it is one of the easiest ways to get together with criminals like Blood Falcon.

Chiya had left the warehouse and was going to leave to the local bar, it was in the afternoon and she would likely not run into trouble this time. What she was wondering, was where to obtain the next parts to an F-Zero machine, especially the main body of the vehicle, these were not things you would find in an ordinary junkyard, it was much more complex than that. This bar had a drinking limit, but had the most business when it came to F-Zero racing, not only could you watch the races on screen there, but during the annual Grand Prix, gambling machines are set up. She entered the bar, _Rough Odds. _Many people were there already, but the race was not to start for quite awhile. She sat down on a chair but did not wish to order anything yet, she was still traumatized by what happened to her the previous night.

Momentarily after sitting a younger man came and sat by her, grinning, "What's a pretty flower like you doing in a place like this?"

She was looking at him confused, the term 'flower' threw her off because of her last name, but after looking at him for a few moments she realized he was complimenting her. "Oh, I couldn't possibly afford to go to an F-Zero race in person, so I come here to watch them for free."

He smiled quickly, "Of course, no one living down here get's to see it in person, the only people able to get in is the upper class, and even they don't get the luxury seats that others get."

She remained quiet for a few moments, she was trying to get more involved in the conversation, but was still not very trusting of men after last night. Chiya would just need to ultimately assume that his intentions were truly good unlike those two criminals.

"I always pictured that the races are amazing up close, and that there is a smell to it, a smell you always remember."

He spun his beverage around a little, "Smell huh? Well you got that right, whenever those machines dart past us all, it's as if you can smell the speed."

_It's as if you can smell the speed_, that sentence bounced around her mind, making the race sound incredible up close.

"My name is Earl Bendek by the way, you know… I do have a ticket into the race tonight, if you wanted I could try bring you in with me."

Chiya felt as if her eyes had suddenly spun at the offer, the opportunity stunned her. This man she had only just met seconds ago was offering the best gift she could ever want for free, but she knew not to trust anyone for the time being. _Right…where you'll bring me into an alley and mug me. _Chiya thought to herself angrily.

She shut her eyes smiling, "I'm sorry, I'm positive that you are a great guy…but I had a few issues last night with two men, and I would rather not get into any more messes."

Earl held his head embarrassed looking down, "Oh no… trust me, I understand…I _did_ kind of pop up out of nowhere after all" he said shell-shocked at the decline.

He rubbed his chin for a moment, then grinned trying to brush off the awkward moment he had just endured, "Alright, you can have the ticket then for yourself, but next time you have to go with me" he said full of pride.

Chiya sighed somewhat relieved, tapping her fingers on the table constantly, "You're very persistent mister Bendek" she said smiling.

Chiya exhaled, "However I will have to take up your offer."

Earl grinned and handed her the ticket, allowing access to the stands in the Mute City race track, she was holding it in amazement, observing every part of the ticket with glory, as if she had just won the raffle.

"I don't know what to say…" she said shocked closing her eyes.

"Your welcome… uh…" he was wearing a pager, and it had begun to ring, he looked at it, then looked back at her.

"I have to go…my boss needs me as soon as possible for something…" he said backing away from her.

Chiya waved a farewell, she had no intention of waiting around, she needed to find her way to the race track quickly before it started, though it was to begin much later, she would need to make her way to the Upper City, without a vehicle, as she did not own one.

Later that night, vehicles began darting down to the stadium, Chiya had made it there in time, but was exhausted from taking such a long trip from the Lower City to the Upper City. She had no idea where to go from here, but she spotted a door where people appeared to be crowding around. She merged into the large crowd of people, there was a robot collecting tickets. She patiently waited until it was her turn, so many people would cut in front of each other slowing the waiting process down. After a long wait she made it to the front of the line, the robot turned towards her.

"Hello F-Zero fan, please insert ticket into my database and drop any currently held firearms in the box provided."

Chiya had completely forgot, she was given a pistol by the man named _Lieutenant Seppuku_, she dropped her handgun into the box and put the ticket inside of the robot, the robot quickly fired some laser onto her.

"You have now been tagged, proceed through the door to your right and take a seat, enjoy the race."

Chiya moved towards the door the robot directed her to, she was astonished, so many people were wandering in the hallways, she looked nothing like the many wealthy fans walking around. At long last she found the door leading to the stands, it was already open. She entered it revealing all of the chairs, there were at least two thousand people in that one area. Shocked, she took a seat and looked at the track, it was not lit up with lights yet. Everything felt like a dream, the music, the people, the track, everything was in front of her and it was amazing.

About an hour later she learned that there was even an installed cantina in the vicinity, it was a place of amazement, but it was at long last time to introduce the racers. She took a seat biting her fingers in excitement, the tracks lights had turned on and the intercom had come on.

"Ladies and gentlemen! The F-Zero committee would like to thank you for making this nearly our most successful grand prix ever, this year the estimated total cash prize is somewhere within the vicinity of a billion credits" the announcer shouted.

Chiya beamed in amazement, "That's a lot of money!" she said to herself.

"We will now introduce, the contestants!"

A large orange F-Zero machine was bulking its way up the track.

"Number Twenty-Four, the leader of the notorious Bloody Chain, Michael Chain!"

The vehicle stopped in front of the starting line, Michael Chain got out and began flexing towards the fans.

"Number One, being a machine himself, he can calculate faster than any human on the track, Mighty Gazelle and his vehicle, the Red Gazelle!"

The robot drove up to the starting line quickly, staying inside the vehicle.

"Number Twenty-Five, created in a lab, he is Captain Falcon's true blood rival, Blood Falcon!"

The Blood Hawk quickly drove next to the other racers, without exiting his vehicle, it was clear that he was unleashing a classic one of his evil laughs.

"Number Seven, a living legend, bounty hunter, and winner of the past Grand Prix, Captain Falcon!"

Captain Falcon made his appearance, several fans cheering at the sight of the Blue Falcon, clearly he had the most respect in the entire stadium.

"Number Forty-Seven, the man of isolation and mystery, Lieutenant Seppuku!"

Chiya was suddenly shocked at the sight of the _Red Dove_, she had no idea that the man who saved her, actually competed in the Grand Prix, she must have not noticed in the past when she watched the races on screen.

Seppuku did not make any recognition of the F-Zero fans simply driving up to the starting line, he slipped in between Captain Falcon and Blood Falcons machines.

However this race turned out, Chiya knew one thing, Seppuku was going to be the one she directed her attention on the most.

TO BE CONTINUED!


	3. Lap 3

==LAP 3==

The race was about to begin, minutes later all of the racers were lined up at the starting line, now all introduced. The crowd was out of control, throwing things, screaming, even some fights were emerging in the crowd. The only racer not present was the notorious Black Shadow, which was no surprise, he already had many lackeys racing for him, such as Zoda, Blood Falcon, and Bio Rex.

"At this time, all racers may start their engines!" the announcer yelled.

All of the F-Zero machines had turned on, they began to slowly lift a few feet into the air. Three floating monitors came above the starting line, this was it. Three, Two, One, Go. All of the F-Zero machines instantly darted past the starting line, monitors turned on near the stands so the fans could see where the racers currently were. The Mighty Gazelle took off with the lead, but had the Crazy Bear quickly coming up on him. Captain Falcon appeared to be in 7th, Seppuku was around 15th.

Chiya was observing Captain Falcon carefully, taking lessons. The way he maneuvered the track was so professional, he used tactics and strategy in his turns, somehow keeping an eye on his rivals at the same time. Lieutenant Seppuku flew up close to the other racers, knocking himself back up to the top ten racers. Seppuku appeared to be rivaling against Captain Falcon, as he bumped into him roughly, but not in a hostile way, the Blue Falcon sped up escaping the Red Dove however. Seppuku was gaining on Falcon immediately though, but had another vehicle coming from behind quickly. Seppuku was almost neck and neck with Captain Falcon, when suddenly the Blood Hawk sped up next to the two and rammed both racers. Captain Falcon quickly drifted back into the correct direction, Seppuku took a few seconds to face the correct direction.

"I hate Blood Falcon" Chiya muttered angrily.

Seppuku was caught way in the back again, several racers passing him, he did not take long making his way up the track again however. At this time they completed their first lap and their boosters were now unlocked. Seppuku took up the opportunity and used up much energy to boost up the track, keeping watch on his overall energy. Blood Falcon and Captain Falcon met each other again, this time both were well aware of each others presence. Captain Falcon quickly dashed to the side and attempted to ram Blood Falcon but failed, Blood Falcon took up the opportunity and tried to counter-attack, but Captain Falcon performed a spin, blocking Blood Falcons attack. This sent Blood Falcon two racers in back of Captain Falcon.

Big Fang had bashed the Red Gazelle to the side, but was quickly passed by the Grizzly Bear. Suddenly the Blue Falcon flew past the Big Fang as well. The Red Dove was gaining on Falcon again, but was met with the brute like gang leader, Michael Chain. Both racers challenged each other and began to engage each other. Seppuku and Chain simultaneously clashed with each other, sparks were amid the air. Chain backed away from the Red Dove, and began tailing the machine, he was going to ram Seppuku from behind. Seppuku quickly made the decision to do a spin just before coming to a stop, Michael Chain ran into his trap and took heavy damage, smashing the Wild Boar onto it's side. Once again, Seppuku fell behind the other racers, but quickly moved on.

"The Wild Boar is eliminated from this race! What do you think about pilot Chain's attempt to take Seppuku out?" the announcer asked his partner being broadcasted.

"Well you see… Chain made a bad move on his part, the Wild Board and Red Dove have similar body features, making it seem like both would have similar weak points, but what racers often forget when challenging a racer, is that they need to simply focus on the race."

"Well obviously Michael Chain will have gotten a terrible start to the Grand Prix, automatically being granted no points."

All racers made it past their second lap, it was the final lap. Captain Falcon was gaining on the Fire Stingray, which was holding first place at the time. The Fire Stingray was piloted by Samurai Goroh, a long time rival of Captain Falcon. Falcon found himself getting boxed in by his enemies, the Blood Hawk had made it to third place, and as always, focused on trying to kill Captain Falcon. Goroh and Blood Falcon appeared to be working together to smash the Blue Falcon, when suddenly the White Cat and Red Dove came up and engaged the other racers. Seppuku smashed into Goroh and was pushing him gradually to the side of the track, then boosted away from him. Blood Falcon counter-attacked the White Cat successfully, and stayed on the Blue Falcon, the Blue Falcon and Red Dove were driving next to each other, Falcon nodded to Seppuku, likely in appreciation for assisting him, but Seppuku disregarded him.

The Blood Hawk had caught up once again, but this time he changed targets, he was directing himself towards the Red Dove instead, seeing him as a potential threat. Seppuku saw Blood Falcon moving to his side, but was accidentally boxed in by Captain Falcon, who was closely to his left not allowing any room to drift to the side. Seppuku smashed his hand on his vehicles dashboard in anger and slowed down, allowing Blood Falcon and Captain Falcon to go at each other again. Seppuku immediately picked up the speed but was already passed by the White Cat and Deep Claw. Blood Falcon and Captain Falcon were struggling to defeat each other, both dashing into each other constantly. Blood Falcon had no hesitation to start smashing into him like some deranged brute. Blood Falcon pinned the Blue Falcon to the side of the track, and was preparing for a massive dash attack. As soon as the Blood Hawk moved towards the Blue Falcon, Captain Falcon boosted out of the way, Blood Falcon ended up smashing himself into the side of the track.

Seppuku managed to pass the Deep Claw but could not gain speed fast enough to pass the White Cat. It was too late, the finish line was up ahead. Captain Falcon victoriously passed the line taking first. Blood Falcon following him in second.

The crowd suddenly started to go out of control, "That's it for the first race! Captain Falcon taking First! Blood Falcon second, Jody Summer third, Lieutenant Seppuku fourth, and Octoman taking fifth."

Captain Falcon waved to his cheering fans, Blood Falcon grinning with his razor sharp vampiric like teeth, gazed at his victorious rival. Captain Falcon looked back at him, returning an expressionless look. Blood Falcon always had a basic principle, the finish line was not where he would ever kill Captain Falcon, it had to be in or outside of the race only. Captain Falcon drove away from the track, the others following.

Chiya was stunned at how dangerous the race got, did they even care that there was attempted murder on the track? Clearly F-Zero was a sport where anything could happen, the question on her mind now was where Seppuku planned on going now.

Chiya was walking out of the viewing area, it was there Captain Falcon was standing looking at her. She gazed at him, astonished. He walked over to her, and smiled.

"Captain Falcon?" Chiya said extremely shocked.

Captain Falcon grabbed the side of her face, "My sweet Chiya Flower, I've longed for the day I could meet you face to face, and now my dream has been fulfilled."

She looked at him trembling and blushing.

"Come with me, so we can live a happy life, away from racing" he said kneeling kissing her hand.

Suddenly Chiya launched herself up, she had only dreamed about Captain Falcon approaching her that race. She was in her messy abandoned warehouse, she had watched her first F-Zero race in person last night, then went home immediately afterwards. None of it seemed real, but it was, she was actually there, and the stories were true, F-Zero can get very dangerous.

Chiya put her stock hat on and looked in the mirror again, sadly.

"I can't keep living like this…" she said sighing.

She walked out of the bathroom with a feeling of depression, she fell back onto her bed. Gazing at the ceiling, she suddenly had a thought cross her mind. She grabbed the handgun Seppuku lent her and examined it. She was looking closely at the model and ammunition of the weapon, then it hit her.

"Hold on…this is too powerful to be meant for civilian use."

She hesitantly put the clip back in the handgun and looked at some scrap wood in the building. Still lying down on her bed, she flipped over and took aim at some of the wood. She turned off the safety and cocked it. CRACK. She fired the weapon, severely damaging the wood.

"What the Hell? This must be for military usage…" she said looking at the gun, shaking after firing the loud weapon.

This time she fired blankly at the wall, observing the damage done to it, the hole the bullet made was deep and left cracks surrounding the hole.

"Where did he get th-"

She had remembered the weapon Seppuku had used, it wasn't a handgun, it was a rifle.

"What is he doing with this stuff?" she questioned to herself.

She put the gun back on the table and walked outside, as usual, she was going to start off her day by bringing herself to her usual bar.

While walking she noticed that the streets were littered with paper, as if everyone just let loose last night, not caring about keeping a city clean. She walked inside the bar, somewhat hoping she would find Earl Bendek, the man who gave her the ticket to see the race. After scanning for him, she had no luck, but suddenly her eyes did catch something else that was eventful to her. It was Seppuku, he was playing a card game with fellow F-Zero racer Baba. Perhaps she could finally get to talk with him again, ever since her frightening first encounter. There was no retreating now, Seppuku lifted his head slightly, making eye contact with Chiya, his eyes were covered with a visor under his fedora, like that of Captain Falcon's, she was about to get her answers.

TO BE CONTINUED!


	4. Lap 4

==LAP 4==

Seppuku's eyes had caught Chiya's eyes, she could just sit down at the table, but it was too late, she already found herself walking towards him as if she were being pulled in. Seppuku could tell she wanted an audience with him, so he threw the game with Baba.

Baba glanced at Seppuku, "You realize we threw two hundred credits on the table" he reminded Seppuku.

Seppuku nodded, "Yes, just take the money and go."

Baba smirked, "Your loss fool" Baba swiped the money into his hands and left the table.

Chiya grabbed the chair Baba was in, "Can I sit here?" she asked.

"Go for it."

Chiya did not quite even know what she wanted to ask him first, so she broke the ice, "So you got fourth place, that was pretty good."

Seppuku shrugged, "I suppose, I could use some better boosters for the Red Dove."

Seppuku stood up and started digging around in his coat pocket and pulled out: a wallet, planet passport, some money, a bullet, and some metal disc. Chiya observed the bullet roll towards her but was quickly distracted as Seppuku clicked a switch on the disc, revealing lights. A holographic image of his vehicle; the Red Dove then emitted from the disc.

Seppuku spun the image of his vehicle to the back, and pointed at the boosters. "See that?"

It took Chiya a few seconds to realize that the left booster was very dented, "Yes sir" she responded affirmatively.

"_Damn _Blood Hawk barely touched me, yet my booster was wrecked by him near the end" he said biting down on his lip.

Seppuku tilted his fedora down hiding his visor; "Basically, what I'm saying, is that those boosters were play things, not competition worthy, a mistake on my associates part."

Chiya hesitantly turned the ship to its side, "I see that the left flank of your ship was damaged as well, that must have made it hard to drift."

Seppuku growled, "What?"

Chiya fell back into her seat trembling at his fierce attitude, Seppuku moved his hat up and looked at her; he changed his angered expression into a grin and performed a silent clap.

"Well done, not even I noticed that" Seppuku admitted.

Chiya smiled, "Thank you, F-Zero has always been a fascination to me, I was raised in a place with little to do."

"That place is?" Seppuku asked.

"Mysteria-our race track is known as Mist Lane" said Chiya.

Seppuku laughed, "Mist Lane? No one likes that track."

"Why not?"

"The fog, it is unbearable, any attempt to attack a racer is a deathtrap waiting to-"

Seppuku was suddenly interrupted as an explosion erupted behind him, destroying half the room within seconds, smoke filled the entire area and screaming was filling the bar quickly.

"Help!" Chiya screamed in fear.

Seppuku stood up from the ashes, smoke surrounding him. "What the Hell?"

Out of the smoke came three large men, it was Michael Chain and his goons, they were holding AKP-55 assault rifles, a futuristic variant of the AK-47.

"Lieutenant Seppuku! I'm so sorry sir! That was meant to kill you but clearly failed!" Chain yelled grinning.

Seppuku stood still, Chiya crouching slightly behind him, once again using him as cover. "Oh, well, sorry for having the superior F-Zero handling, crazy bastard" Seppuku said playing along.

Chain stomped his foot down with great pressure, "Well Seppuku, that race was within my reach before you stole it from me!" he yelled.

"Oh please, if I hadn't been in that race, you would have gotten your ass kicked by Captain Falcon anyways."

Chain stopped grinning and was becoming frustrated, "Now why don't you just drop those toys of yours and go work out more or something" Seppuku said chuckling.

Chain was shaking angrily, "I've had enough of this crap!" he yelled firing his weapon into Seppukus chest. The single bullet sent Seppuku down onto the floor, bleeding. Chiya was jaw dropped and trembling in fear, she was definitely in for trouble.

"Hey little girl…did we just kill your daddy!?" Chain yelled laughing with his boys.

Chiya suddenly pulled out the handgun out of stress and fired at him. Chain was holding his chest; which was now bleeding, "Stupid girl!" he yelled lifting his gun with one hand, but she was nowhere to be found.

"Let's get out of here boys!" he yelled. Chain and his goons went running out of the building.

Chiya reappeared, she was hiding behind a fallen table, she gazed in horror at a bleeding Seppuku. "Seppuku!" she yelled in fear.

Seppuku remained still, making unclear responses, she shook him constantly, clearly revealing sparks of life still in him. She then noticed something in his hand, it was the key to the _Red Dove, _Seppuku's F-Zero machine.

_Was he hinting for me to get him to his vehicle?_ she thought. She clicked a button on the key, and just like that the _Red Dove _automatically drove up to the door of the bar.

She tried lifting him up, but had to carry him over her back.

"Come on sir, you have many races left to do" she said assuring the dying Seppuku.

She made it outside, and could hear police sirens on the way, the police would merely hold her up, she needed to get him to a hospital now!

"Seppuku! You have to drive to the hospital!" she yelled putting him against his vehicle.

A drop of blood dripped down his mouth, "Chiya…" he mumbled. Chiya jumped down to him, holding his wound, but trying to keep blood from making contact with her hand.

He made a loud breathing sound, "Chi- you need to drive me back- back to my place" he barely made out.

A shock went through her body at the request for her to drive a competition made vehicle. "I- I don't-"

Seppuku interrupted her, "Shut up…don't think, just do it."

Chiya had no choice, it was either drive, or let him bleed out. She put him behind the pilots seat, and sat down inside. She scouted the dashboard for where to turn on the ship, then found it; she inserted the key and suddenly lights lit up everywhere. A large GPS screen turned on above the dashboard, it had several locations saved, one being labled _HQ_.

"HQ?" She asked.

Seppuku nodded slightly, biting his teeth down in pain.

She then activated the waypoint, and was about to move. She immediately began to accelerate, Chiya drove vehicles before, but F-Zero machines were much different. The _Red Dove _was moving at a fast pace already, it felt like she was driving a lightning bolt down the streets. She had to make a sharp turn in a moment, she remembered what she said about the damaged flank, which would make turning right possibly a challenge. Chiya slowed down and took an easy turn instead, not worrying about speed. Chiya quickly exhaled, realizing that driving the machine would not be as hard as she thought, the issue at hand was that Seppuku was dying.

Chiya had been driving for about two minutes now; when suddenly she could see three vehicles moving at her quickly. It was the _Wild Boar_, Michael Chain was on their trail.

"Damn it!" she yelled.

Michael Chain was laughing, "Don't let that fool Seppuku escape alive!"

The three vehicles were attempting to trap the _Red Dove_, Michael Chain trying to move in front of the _Red Dove_, his goons covering both sides.

"Oh no…oh dear!" Chiya said frantically.

As the Wild Boar prepared to boost in front of the _Red Dove_, something came dashing in at incredible speed. It was the _Blue Falcon_! One of Chains goons were rammed right into a wall by Captain Falcon. Michael Chain slammed his fists on the dashboard, "Screw it! This is too much to chew on!" he yelled, suddenly spinning around retreating.

The Blue Falcon followed the Red Dove for a few seconds before spinning around to chase Chain. Chiya blew a sigh of relief as they were out of danger, and approaching the destination.

"How are you doing Seppuku?" asked a relieved Chiya.

No response was heard from Seppuku, but he was still breathing heavily.

Chiya approached an alley way, big enough to hide a vehicle. She drove into the alley, revealing a garage door, it opened as she stopped in front of it. A man in a lab coat stood in front of it waiting. She entered the garage then jumped out, lifting up Seppuku.

"We need to revive him quickly!" yelled the man.

The two suddenly caught each others eyes, it was Earl Bendek, the man who gave Chiya the ticket to the race. Despite the random meet up, they nodded and ran holding Seppuku into a building.

They entered a room that was connected to the garage; revealing that the trash infested alley was actually hiding something much more than a garage.

"Stay here young lady, the Lieutenant will want to see you if he makes it through this!" Earl said rushing Seppuku into a room.

Earl and Seppuku disappeared, and Chiya exhaled finally collapsing onto her knees, she wiped her forehead with her eyes shut. The floor was cold, Chiya found herself staring at her hands, what was mere minutes felt like hours. It was indeed only minutes ago that they had escaped the bar alive. She opened her eyes and rubbed her stock hat, looking around the dark room.

"What is this place?" she asked aloud.

The building clearly belonged to Seppuku, there were portraits of him and fedoras on hooks all over the walls. The building had but one light in the middle, it was basically pitch dark all over the building.

Chiya learned something that hour, F-Zero may typically be racing, but she was beginning to understand at last, F-Zero isn't _just_ racing, there was much more to it, a War.

To be Continued!


	5. Lap 5

==LAP 5==

Chiya had been sitting down on the metal floor waiting, it had been about twenty minutes since Earl had taken Seppuku for medical attention. Chiya was biting on her finger at the thought of what were to happen next, what if Michael Chain were to suddenly bust into the room? Chiya had shot him multiple times in the upper chest, yet he came out of it practically unharmed; Seppuku fell after taking in a single bullet.

Chiya stood up and decided that she would explore the room she was in, there appeared to be a set of display cases across from her. She walked towards them slowly, a lone, dim light was shining over them. One of the objects on display was a bronze Grand Prix trophy, but it appears to have been thrown in the case with little care as it lays on its side. A set of medals lay neatly in rows in the other case, the medals appeared to be relevant to some kind of fighting force, but no medal contained any lettering that would hint out where these were obtained. The next object launched Chiya back into a feeling of shock, Blood Falcon's helmet lay there, it appeared dusty but maintained with minimal effort. The visor of the helmet was almost completely shattered and would not be able to protect the eyes of the wearer. _Seppuku can't be Blood Falcon though, they were facing each other on the track_ Chiya thought to herself. Chiya lifted her hands onto the glass and tried to lift the top off.

"Old fool always gets himself into these messes" said Earl silently approaching Chiya from behind.

A startled Chiya swatted her hands away from the glass and spun around. Earl was wearing a long white trench coat, with a slight amount of blood visible on the waist.

"He seems to enjoy challenging those who should not be challenged, Michael Chain on the other hand…holds a grudge against Seppuku" said Earl.

Chiya put her hands together quickly, "So did he survive?" she asked frightened.

Earl closed his eyes and breathed out, "Well…admittedly this isn't the first time this has happened, but somehow he keeps cheating Death" he chuckled.

Chiya bit her finger, "I should have brought him to a hospital…I don't know what I was th-"

"No!" yelled Earl with now widened eyes.

Chiya had quickly hushed up, treating his intimidating response as a way of saying 'shut up'. Earl looked away holding his head embarrassed.

"You did the right thing bringing him here, the hospital would have been a bad option" Earl stated confusingly.

Chiya nodded and turned around to the display cases again, this time examining the medals. She now had to wonder if these even belonged to Seppuku, but perhaps Earl, on that note she also had to wonder where she was, and what Earl's role in all of this was in the first place.

"Earl, where are we right now?" Chiya asked.

Earl crossed his arms not making a sound, he began to hum thinking of a response. "I'm afraid I can't tell you that"

Chiya narrowed her eyes feeling challenged, "Who are you?" she asked in a cold way.

Earl breathed in and out slowly, hesitating to answer at first, "That I also cannot tell you"

Chiya formed an angry expression and swatted her hands against her waist, "Alright I want to get out of here now!" she shouted.

Earl did not speak right away, it seemed that everything she said required some lengthy thought before responding. "I can lead you out of here, but I implore that you stay until Seppuku regains conciousness, it was an order given to me with what breath he had left"

_Order?_ Chiya thought to herself.

"Of course we can't imprison you here like an animal, but it would look good for both of us if you respect a dying man's wish" Earl said in an attempt to pressure Chiya's decision.

Chiya closed her eyes frustrated and nodded, "Very well, do you have any food then?" she asked.

Earl finally revealed a bit of emotion by grinning, "Well of course, we don't serve alcohol here however"

Chiya waved her hand negatively, "I don't like to drink"

"Good, maybe if Seppuku had that kind of will he wouldn't be getting shot all the time" Earl complained.

Chiya did not respond, but was clearly still thirsty for answers.

"I'll go get you a snack, please stay here" Earl requested as he began walking away.

Chiya returned to wandering around the empty room, the room was literally just a room of no importance, it was basically just a waiting room with portraits and the display cases. As time went by, Chiya began doing stranger things such as focusing on the portraits to see what kind of art style was used to make it. _How does it take 10 minutes to get a snack?_ she asked herself.

Earl moments later returned with a bag of chips, he threw it into Chiya's arms. She looked at the bag with a displeased expression, "It took ten minutes to get me a bag of chips?"

"Seppuku woke up, but as it turns out, one of the bullets grazed a part of his collarbone and as you may imagine, he is feeling like Hell" Earl explained.

"Can I speak with him then?" asked Chiya.

Earl looked down at the ground, "Not quite…he insisted however that you spend the night here, a bedroom and all other needed areas will be opened to you of course"

Chiya rubbed her head thinking of the proposal, "I don't know…that would be so uncomfortable considering I have no idea what is going on here…"

Earl nodded in agreement, "I can imagine, but what you need to realize is that we mean you no harm, you did save him after all, perhaps he has something to give you, and trust me, becoming friends with F-Zero racers will have their perks in the end."

Chiya thought about the proposal some more, she had then accounted for the upsides of doing this, if she were to leave this place alone, she would be accepting the risk of being attacked by Michael Chain again. "I guess I could spend a night away from that trashy building for once" referring to her current place of residency.

Earl nodded grinning, "I'm glad I finally got you to cooperate with the situation some more"

He began walking towards a door, "Follow me and I will show you to your room" Earl invited.

Chiya finally got to leave that area, and entered a hallway with even more doors. This hall however, had several more lights going down the path, livening it up much more. Earl stopped next to one of the doors and opened it, "You can stay here for tonight, if you need to use the restroom, kitchen, or other services you just check through the doors in this hallway, but only roam through this hallway or the waiting area, nowhere else."

"Yeah I had enough of the waiting area" Chiya said letting out a quick laugh.

Earl grinned then walked away, back to the waiting area. Chiya closed the door and turned around to see her bedroom. The bedroom was nothing very special, but contained a basic bed and bookshelf, still much better than her usual resting place. The first thing Chiya did was drop onto the bed, she was staring at the ceiling, trying to listen for any sound, but the room was completely silent.

After about five minutes of laying doing nothing, she finally turned her head at the bookshelf. All of the books looked very bland, but one stuck out more than the others. She grabbed the book and brought it up to her face, it was a book about F-Zero machine maneuvering. Though she did not feel like reading, she needed to kill time, while it seemed like forever, she had only just left for the bar about two and a half hours ago, so she had a while to go before the end of the day. She had then opened the book and began reading, not long into reading however, she took extra time to study what knowledge the book offered more carefully.

Chiya woke up, she was frightened at first at the lack of ambient noise in the area. She lifted her self up quickly shocked, just to realize that she was not in the same place she usually woke up in. Though she had a better bed here, she still fell asleep on it incorrectly, providing an uncomfortable feeling. Chiya found the book she had been reading on her lap, it was a mystery when she had fallen asleep. Chiya stood up and stretched, she needed to find out what time it was. She left the bedroom to find a clock, she assumed there would be one in the kitchen. She opened a door and looked inside, it was a clean room with some counters and storage units, this was the kitchen. Chiya looked at the clock that was above the stove, it was a little past midnight.

"I guess I'll just go back to bed then" she said to herself.

As she opened the door again, a man without a shirt stood in front of her. She gasped before studying the figure more closely.

"Seppuku!" Chiya said loudly.

Seppuku was not wearing his signature coat, scarf, and fedora. He was still wearing his visor however, which apparently was not like Captain Falcon's, rather it was like a mask.

"Good, you're awake" he said in a faint voice.

Chiya was staring at him with a serious, yet surprised expression.

Later on Seppuku and Chiya alone sat inside of an office, Seppuku was now more clothed, wearing his coat, but still no fedora or scarf.

Seppuku was standing in front of Chiya with his arms behind his back, "Let me tell you why I was so insistent that you stay here tonight Ms. …"

"Chiya, Chiya Flower" she answered.

Seppuku nodded, "I knew you were someone of importance when I met you the night you were being held captive, you have a talent only one of ten people posses"

Chiya was intrigued by the immediate compliment she was given by such a person, but was still prepared for anything to go bad.

"You know how to pilot an F-Zero machine without even studying" he concluded.

Chiya shook her head negatively, "That isn't true, I've studied F-Zero all my life."

"But you did not attend any universities or classes, just watched races, correct?" he asked.

Chiya nodded in agreement, _What is he getting at?_ she asked herself.

"You didn't pilot very well, but you managed to fend off against a professional F-Zero racer, which leads me to believe that you might prove useful to me" Seppuku sat down in his chair after saying this.

"Useful how? What is this place? Why is Earl here?" she burst out with questions.

"In due time, the secret is that, I am not just an F-Zero racer, I am also the boss of this small vigilante group" Seppuku explained grinning.

Chiya suddenly felt a chill go through her, and it had become abundantly clear now, she looked around the room seeing different guns hung up on walls. "Who are you working for then?" she asked.

"I self-serve…" he simply responded.

"Then where is the income?" she asked confused.

"Both in racing and looting the possessions of unlawful scum" he responded.

Chiya nodded understanding finally, "What is it you want from me then?" it was clear that Chiya had little interest in joining this operation.

"Me and Earl are the only ones in this group, and he is just the caretaker of the HQ, F-Zero machine, and medical duties, leaving me the only one capable of using an F-Zero machine."

Chiya was still listening despite her disinterest, even if she had no intentions of helping, she was still getting some much wanted information from Seppuku.

"We could outfit you with your own F-Zero machine eventually, and you could begin making serious money, as it would appear that you for the most part are unemployed" said Seppuku.

Chiya had a pressured expression on her face and was trying to come up with a response.

"Judging by that body, that bag of chips must have been the most expensive thing you've eaten in a long time" he said trying to persuade her.

Chiya was offended by the comment on her body, but was actually interested in the thought of actually owning an F-Zero machine.

"The only downside you may see in doing this, is you will have to get a bit more dirty, and possibly kill if necessary"

Chiya shut her eyes, "I'll accept your proposal…but-" she hesitated to finish her sentence.

Seppuku was flexing his fingers looking at her, "When I get my F-Zero machine, I want to begin training to participate in the Grand Prix" Chiya demanded.

Seppuku smashed his hand on his desk, "Don't be an idiot girl! Racing is not just knowing your basic turns and handling, it was death waiting to happen, if you die while racing, no one is held accountable, that's how it works" said Seppuku loudly.

Chiya was grinning, she could now tell that Seppuku was actually desperate for her assistance, which means she could propose a few counter-offers.

"I also want the complete truth to what is going on here…all of this classified information is making me crazy" Chiya stated in frustration.

Seppuku was clearly not pleased with the counter-offer she made, "As a final offer, I will accept all of your counter-proposals…but I want you to understand, if we fail to get your machine equipped with efficient parts before the next Grand Prix, you will not participate"

Chiya rubbed her chin for a bit thinking, "and I do not have to live in that abandoned warehouse anymore if I accept?"

Seppuku nodded, Chiya then nodded approvingly, "Very well then" she said reaching out for Seppuku's hand.

The two shook hands in agreement, "Welcome, Chiya Flower, I will have Earl show you around the HQ, with full access, but first go get some sleep, you look exhausted" said Seppuku.

Chiya stood in front of him, before saluting him, "Yes sir."

To be Continued!


	6. Lap 6

==LAP 6==

Earl and Chiya were walking down a hallway together, the day had passed and Chiya finally had a more suitable place to stay, and to some extent was beginning to view Earl as one of her friends. The question that remained, was whether Chiya make her decision to join Seppuku too quickly without thinking.

"With you around, things won't be as boring" Earl said grinning.

"Seppuku seems like such an interesting character though, how can it possibly get boring around here?" a confused Chiya asked.

Earl stretched in the air while they continued walking down the long stretch of a hallway. "Yeah, but he is always isolated in that office of his, and the only time he does leave is at night, when he hunts."

"_Hunts_?" Chiya asked with a frightened expression.

"When there is no work to be done, he sneaks around Mute City at night searching for crime in the lower parts, such as the predicament you found yourself in that one night, as I heard."

Chiya lowered her head, covering her chest at the mentioning of her sexual assaulters, "I had that situation under control before he came…" she muttered angrily.

Earl revealed a cheesy smile, "Yeah…that's definitely what I heard."

Earl opened a large garage like door, revealing a cold room with metal parts all over the place. At first glance it appeared to be a personal indoor junkyard, but closer observations revealed that it was just a very disorganized garage. In the middle of the mess was a dirty, unpainted body for an F-Zero machine.

"Well there it is, that was originally meant to be an F-Zero machine for me, but God knows I can't fly those, and I had no intentions of ever racing" Earl explained.

Chiya placed her hand on the body of the machine, the steel was cold and completely void of any cuts, the body seemed to be brand new.

"Wow!" she blurted out amazed.

"Well…don't get too excited, this is only the body, luckily the computer and dashboard is already installed, but it still requires the main components."

"So this is going to be mine eventually?"

"You bet, I planned on painting it chrome black and call it something like… _the Dark Avenger_" Earl proposed raising his fist in the air with glory.

Chiya rubbed her chin narrowing her eyes, "-or…"

Chiya leaped in front of the machine, "We could paint it all red and pink, and name it the _Purring Kitten_!" she said excitedly.

Earl had a stunned expression as if he was just slapped across the face, "Well…I guess that could work…"

"So where do we obtain the rest of the parts?" asked Chiya after obsessing over the soon-to-be F-Zero machine.

Earl sat down on a metal spin-around chair, "Well, Seppuku claims that you already possess a basic engine?"

Chiya shot back a troubled expression, completely forgetting about anything outside of the base, "Yes, but it's back home, well…where I was staying."

"Flower!" Seppuku's obnoxiously loud voice rang both Earl and Chiya's ears.

Seppuku threw Chiya a small box, about the size of a water bottle, she looked at him while slowly lifting the lid up, the contents of the box were several bullets for her handgun.

"Oh God, why are y-"

"This part of Mute City is as dangerous as it gets, if you are going to return for that engine, you will need to be on your feet at all times."

Chiya studied his words carefully, trying to understand what he was implying. "Where is the police?" she asked.

Seppuku let out a laugh, "Police? We basically are the police…"

Chiya looked surprised at him, he was clearly referring to the lack of police in the lower part of Mute City, but the possibility of there not even being police patrols down in the area was insane.

"I would glady accompany you, but this wound is going to take at least two more days to heal" said Seppuku.

Earl narrowed his eyes, turning his head very slowly at him, "Uh…_no-o_…I said two weeks!"

Seppuku began to laugh, "Two weeks? Yeah right…"

Earl growled angrily, "Why do you always do this…"

"What kind of danger do you think I might come across?" Chiya asked.

"We are surrounded by a gang war between _Red Star _and _The Bloody Chain_, you need to make sure you are back before the sun begins to set or you may get caught between the feud, but that's only the worst-case scenario, there is always crime lurking down here" Seppuku explained.

"Gang War? Do you really think I might encounter this if I don't hurry?" she asked concerned.

"Damn right."

Chiya nodded, "I'll go now then."

Chiya sprinted out the door, searching for the exit of the building. Earl and Seppuku could see that she was reloading her handgun, meaning she had a bad feeling about this mission. Once she was out of sight, Earl looked at Seppuku.

"Why did you lie to her?" asked Earl.

"Lie? In what way?"

Earl flailed his arms, "You know there is no specific time the Gang War goes hot, it just happens whenever!"

Seppuku nodded in agreement, "True…but if I told her that, she would have never agreed to go get the engine."

Earl sighed, "What does your mother think about you?"

A little later, Chiya was quickly walking down the sidewalks of the streets, she was still in an area completely unfamiliar to her. Her handgun was tucked away to her side, but she could tell she was going to need it by the end of this. The feeling she had walking down the streets was strange, it felt like she wasn't suppose to be walking down that area, as if she was committing a crime by doing this, but in this case she was just waiting to get mugged, or worse.

A shock went through her body when she suddenly saw someone creep around the corner of a building to look at her, the person disappeared almost immediately after, perhaps this person was also was trying to avoid contact with criminals. She noticed that there were no businesses around her, and the section of the city was as quiet as the HQ she was just in. For that matter, many of the buildings appeared damaged, clearly the government paid no attention to this area, as if they had just given up completely on the people here. The fact was, no one visited the lower part of the city, it was reserved for scum or people that were too poor to afford even the most standard of places. A few miles away was where the roads would begin going upwards, leading to the more financial and thriving areas, the land of opportunity.

Chiya noticed even more people were looking at her from behind broken buildings, it was freighting, but these people did not appear to be dangerous, they looked dirty, clearly they were just homeless people interested in her. She had a hard time feeling sympathetic for these people however, as she had been living in no better state.

Minutes later she knew that she was slightly more safe, she had made it back to the area with the bar. Before she went back to her old place, she decided to see what came out of the bar, that had been damaged by Michael Chain. She rounded a corner of a building, and could see that the streets were blocked off by police signs. To her surprise, there were a few officers in the area, likely investigators. The signs did not state whether she could pass or not, rather they appeared to be there for the purpose of keeping vehicles out, Chiya decided that she would approach the officers and collect information.

Chiya walked over to one of the officers standing by the main damage of the building. "Hello sir, what happened to this place?" she asked lying.

The officer stepped away from the wall to look at her, "It's a complete mystery to us still, but we know it was a part of this dang gang war…"

Chiya glanced inside the now destroyed bar, without the smoke everywhere, it was much more astonishing at how much damage was inflicted. _All of this just to kill Seppuku?_ she thought to herself.

"Right now we are debating if we should label this as an Act of Terror, but that is hard to label if it was something not directed towards the citizens, rather it was a result of gangs fighting each other…"

"What's to become of the bar?" she asked.

The officer shook his head sadly, "This place is done for, the owner was killed by the explosion yesterday, which is a real shame…"

Chiya didn't know the owner personally, but this was the only place she ever went to before she had met Earl and Seppuku. She relied on this place for a long time for F-Zero racing and a place to go for the news.

"This was one of the only places we got to go to for fun when we were off-duty, so now we're back to listening to F-Zero races on our radios…" the officer complained.

Chiya nodded, "I am sorry to hear that, I really do appreciate you guys providing us with help down in such a dangerous area, I hope you can end this gang dispute soon."

The officer was grinning at all of that up until the part where she mentioned ending the dispute, "Yep" he responded coldly.

Chiya turned around and continued towards her old home, she had left the area moments later. Michael Chain had completely ruined a place for fun and discussion, many poor F-Zero fans would no longer have a way to watch the races now, Chiya was only lucky that she had now gotten a new place to stay where she could watch the races.

Not long after Chiya's encounter with the officer, she made it back to the abandoned building. She entered the room with her bed and saw the box containing the engine was still sitting there, but first she went around the collect any other possessions she owned, before realizing, she owned nothing of importance. She looked down at her bed, where a patterned blanket sat. She held it up looking at it, _my mother was so sure I would be going to university, I failed her._ she thought to herself painfully. The blanket was crafted by her mother, which meant it had importance to her. She put it in the box with the engine and departed the building for the last time.

It didn't take very long for her to get the engine, but now she had the challenge of carrying this large box back with her. Considering the situation she had gotten herself in last time she carried this, she would need to be careful, especially since she would need to drop this if she were to pull out her handgun. This time she was trying to avoid the sidewalks, and was simply moving down the streets instead, which was not very smart considering the unlikely odds that an F-Zero machine could come darting down the streets at full speed. Luckily Chiya had a pretty easy time remembering how to get to the HQ, the real challenge would be figuring out which alleyway was the right one to enter.

Chiya passed by the bar again, there were no officers present anymore, which was odd since she had only just been there. She had only been walking for mere minutes and her arms were already becoming very weak holding such a large object. The streets were much darker in the lower parts of Mute City, because the large metropolis surrounding it was always blocking the sun, the upper levels was where the light was more visible.

After walking for several more minutes, she was a little more than halfway back to the HQ, she had not come across any problems the entire journey, and it appeared that she would be home free if she hurried, or so she had thought. Far across from her, the image of two men facing each other could be made out, it appeared to be a homeless person bickering with a much stronger counterpart. Chiya speed-walked to the side of a building, observing them closer. The next thing Chiya could make out was that the much larger person was acting more authoritative towards the other. But then Chiya realized what was happening, and it sent her into a cold, still stance. The man was holding a knife towards the homeless man, Chiya knew for a fact that this was an unjust act. She got even closer, attempting to hear the conversation they were having.

"I don't want to be part of this!" the homeless man begged.

"Red Star needs more active members if we are to defeat the Bloody Chain!" the man yelled back at him.

"But I would be gaining nothing out of this, our lives here are already awful enough!" he begged.

"Your motivation is that you get to live!"

Chiya was shaking heavily, she knew this was not her battle, but the more she looked at the man, the more she thought of herself being in that position. She _was_ in that exact position before, and Seppuku granted her another chance by saving her from the two men. She had then realized, he had a knife, she had a gun, it was the exact same situation that she had been in, and it was her time to play Seppuku.

The man stopped talking at the sound of a gun cocking, he looked around to see Chiya aiming at him.

"Well what is this now…" the man said in a threatening voice.

"You know what this is…leave this man alone!" she yelled nervously.

The man then noticed that she was shaking frantically, establishing to him that he still had the upper hand.

He chuckled, "Little girl…you're doing a man's job right now, now, you're lucky you came across me, because I am willing to let you go this time, other gang members would kill you or…"

Chiya growled at him, her anger was inspiring her to hold on to the gun a little more steadily.

"Even if you kill me, Red Star will just track you down and take care of you…" he said laughing at her.

Chiya widened her eyes suddenly, "I don't have time for trash!" she screamed shooting his kneecap.

She clearly had destroyed his knee as he fell to the ground making a quirking noise. "Son of a- you shot me in the knee! That's so weak!" he yelled.

The homeless man ran away quickly as soon as he was let go of, Chiya stood in front of the injured gangster. "So, what now? Are you going to finish me off or what?"

Chiya lowered her weapon, "No, that isn't part of my mission…" she said holstering the handgun.

She began walking away to grab the engine again, the man lay still looking at her, "Yo-you're part of Bloody Chain!" he said accusingly.

Chiya disregarded his accusation and began running with the box, she had likely gotten herself into more trouble than she originally thought.

Chiya eventually made it back to the alley way leading to the HQ, she had not encountered any more trouble, but the conflict she was in gave her the adrenaline rush to sprint all the way back to the HQ with the engine. Now panting, she opened the door and entered, safe.

She walked back into the garage looking for Earl, but did not see him, she set the engine on a table and left. Both Seppuku and Earl were nowhere to be seen, the problem with the HQ was that every room was somehow completely quiet, no matter how loud you are in another room. After dropping the blanket on her new bed, she then realized, Earl mentioned Seppuku never leaves his office. She spent a few minutes trying to remember which one of the doors led to his office, but eventually came to it. She opened his office door, revealing both Earl and Seppuku.

"I'm back" Chiya greeted.

"Did you encounter any problems?" Seppuku asked.

Chiya nodded, "I found a gang member of the Red Star, I think, mugging someone."

"-and?"

"I engaged him successfully."

Seppuku clutched his hands together, "-and he's dead?"

Chiya shook negatively, "No, I shot him in the knee, then left him."

Seppuku put his hands on the table, "You are a fool for doing that, but still, you completed your mission and saved a life."

"A fool?" she asked offended.

"Yes, why would you leave him like that?"

Chiya held her chin, "It just seemed wrong to kill him."

Seppuku slammed his hand down, "Is it? You shot him, which likely disabled him, who is going to save him?"

Chiya felt guilty suddenly, but it seemed like both answers to that fight would have it's drawbacks.

"He likely laid there, bleeding to death in pain, where he spent his final moments on the ground suffering…the most heroic act in that situation would be to set him free on the spot, by killing the bastard."

Chiya bit her finger at the sad thought of this, "But-"

"However…as I said, you completed your mission, and you will find that future engagements will put you in these tough situations, in which case the fate of your victim is in your hands only" Seppuku concluded.

Chiya shut her eyes, "I'm sorry…" she muttered.

Seppuku turned towards a television Earl was looking at, "You must have not noticed what happened while you were gone then?" asked Seppuku.

"What is it?" she asked.

Earl looked at her, "While you were gone, there were reports of a devastating firefight between the two gangs, it was in the middle of an intersection, and reports are saying there were civilian casualties…"

Chiya was staring at the TV screen, which was showing a simple photo of Michael Chain and the crime scene.

After a day of excitement, it was becoming clear to Chiya that before she could get to work on F-Zero, this gang war was going to need to end.

To be Continued!


	7. Lap 7

==LAP 7=

Chiya was sitting in a chair facing a desk, the room was bright, she was up in a very tall building in the upper city. Facing her was a man in a black suit, with black slick hair.

"Ms. Flower, what I have in your portfolio, is that you have never been employed, you come from a planet of no significance, and have little skill in many subjects."

Chiya sat still with a disappointed expression.

"You graduated with fairly well grades, your highest scoring grade being vehicular engineering, and have a fond interest in F-Zero."

Chiya nodded, "As a child I worked in my dad's shop, helping with engines with problems."

The man nodded his head and continued looking at the paper he had been reading, "It also claims you have a criminal record, simply stating that you, 'Hung out with a bad crowd' and that you dealed in drugs, however was only fined for minor involvement."

Chiya looked at her feet feeling cornered, "It was a misunderstanding, I only let them keep their things in our house, unaware of the drug operations, I made no profit out of it."

The man hummed acknowledging the counter-defense, "I'm afraid this isn't going to get you into our university, to be honest, this almost sounds like a joke, sorry to say."

Chiya got an overwhelmed look on her face, "But you don't know me! I really do get work done and I know that if you give me-"

The man handed her back the papers, "Look, I don't know if you are what it says, but if you have any intentions of building a future, you're going to need more than just getting good grades and having a hobby."

Chiya crossed her legs looking down again, shaking, "I already said I was leaving…I have no place left to go…" she said unsure of her future.

Chiya now found herself laying tucked into her bed, the room was completely dark and silent, it may have appeared that Chiya was living better, but the new job she took on was going to be even more challenging than surviving the streets alone. The one thing Chiya was getting very frustrated at, was her clothing. Her clothing was the same thing she brought with her, she managed to keep her clothes clean, but anytime she could come across any street money, she would need to go spend it on simple needs for survival. She sat up from her bed and blew her bangs upset, she grabbed her wool hat and opened her door. Immediately upon walking through her door she bumped into something, it was Seppuku standing in front of her door.

Chiya widened her eyes frightened, "Oh God, you're not always going to do that are you?"

Seppuku looked down at her, "Go check with Earl in the garage, he's installing the engine."

Chiya rubbed the back of her head smiling, "Uh…what time is it anyways?"

Seppuku began walking away, "Time for work."

Chiya then began walking towards the garage to find Earl. Chiya was still trying to memorize the directions around the complex HQ, but still found herself treating it like a maze. She had momentarily located the garage however and entered quietly. Earl had a hatch under the F-Zero body opened with a ladder going into it, he was inside trying to install the engine properly.

"Earl?" she greeted.

Earl bent over looking at her, "Oh, afternoon princess."

Chiya lowered her eyelids, "Don't call me that, I think Seppuku hinted that you may need a hand?"

Earl swatted his fist into his other hand, "Actually I think I have it installed, but I wouldn't mind if you could go attempt to start the engine while I adjust it, I'm sick of going back and forth."

Chiya nodded, "Sure."

Chiya approached the cockpit of the vehicle, which still had no window. The machine practically looked like a spaceship that could travel through space, but was indeed only a race car. Chiya mounted the vehicle and sat in the seat, it would appear that the vehicle interior was already completely done.

"Alright, start the engine whenever you're ready, and I will try to adjust it perfectly."

Chiya looked around the dashboard, and spotted the ignition immediately. Slowly moving her finger to it, pictures began flooding her mind, like the F-Zero machine exploding, or Earl getting fried by the engine by accident. She bit her lip and pressed the ignition, immediately startled by an unusual sound. Earl then began tinkering with the engine trying to get it right. As he continued working on it, the sound continued to change, finally he stepped out of the vehicle.

"Turn it off, I need to get something."

Chiya quickly deactivated the machine, making the machine emit a dying sound, like a vintage plane turning off. Earl grabbed a tool off of his workplace and ran back to the vehicle.

"Alright turn it on one more time" he said climbing up again.

Chiya ignited the engine and Earl began working again, Chiya was quickly caught off guard and nearly fell out of her seat at the sound of a boom. She looked behind her and could see a blue flame coming out the back as the machine was shaking. The engine was on, but the machine was being held by a clamp like device so it would not move. A few moments later Earl had climbed out of the machine taking off his gloves.

"Alright, turn it off!" he yelled.

Chiya turned off the machine, and the constant shaking of the machine stopped. Chiya leaned out of the cockpit looking at him, "So it's working?"

Earl nodded, "It would appear so, but more tests would be necessary."

Chiya climbed out of the cockpit and landed on the floor perfectly, "So where do we get the booster and reactor?"

Earl pointed his finger up, "We also need a combat module so you can combat others" he added.

"Right, but where do we find these parts?" asked Chiya.

Earl shrugged not knowing, "Your guess is as good as mine, Seppuku would be the one to supply you with that I imagine."

Chiya bowed, "I will go ask him then" she said walking away.

Earl turned towards her, "-and tell him that he shouldn't get back into action so early after that wound!"

Chiya had a clear image on how to get to Seppuku's office by now, so it was one place she could get to with ease. Chiya approached the door and actually had a fear of entering alone, Seppuku was a dark character and while it seemed his intentions were good, his appearance made him look like he was right there alongside other villains. She opened the door, Seppuku was simply sitting with his legs crossed in the air.

"Earl needs the other parts for the machine" she blurted out right away.

Seppuku nodded, "I don't have them."

Chiya put her hand on her shoulder, "So, are we buying the parts then?"

Seppuku simply laughed at her question, beginning to frustrate her, "Alright…I see what you're saying…" she said with a displeased expression.

"Buying even one of those parts would bring us into complete poverty, an engine is the cheapest because all you need to do is supercharge an ordinary one and make adjustments" he explained calmly.

Chiya looked at him with a challenged look, "So why are we even building this then!"

Seppuku tipped his fedora and repositioned himself into a straight sitting stance, "I do have a plan on getting your parts."

Chiya held her hands together quickly, "Oh great!"

"Basically, we're going to steal the parts."

Chiya's arms collapsed like noodles suddenly, "I'm not doing that!"

Seppuku shook his head, "We're not stealing them from anyone of actual importance though, Red Star has a lot full of stolen parts, all we need to do is infiltrate it, take what we need, and go."

Chiya bit her finger thinking about this, "So we're stealing stolen parts? That still sounds kind of wrong, it's still stolen…"

Seppuku crossed his arms, "Then there is nothing that can be done."

Chiya sighed with her limited options, "How do we even pull off such an operation? That sounds like suicide."

Seppuku chuckled, "Where do you think I got my name?"

The room was filled with silence, Seppuku then leaned forward, "I will accompany you on the mission however."

Chiya shook her head negatively, "No way! Earl says you need to stay out of action for at least two weeks!"

Seppuku began an outburst of laughter at her concern for him, "Please, he is just an engineer."

Chiya half-closed her eyes looking at him, "I don't know about that…I think you might be looking at his talent the wrong way."

"I won't be getting very involved if that's what you think…I will stay at a distance with my rifle incase things go badly, all you need to do is bring back as much as you can carry."

Chiya had to think about the mission carefully, Seppuku was obviously being stubborn about his injury, and it had only been one day of recovery. Seppuku appeared to be acting fine however, he almost seemed eager to get back out and fighting, like a bobcat after getting injured.

"Fine, but you need to form a plan that will keep me safe, since I am doing this basically alone" she hesitantly agreed.

Seppuku patted his hands on the desk, "Yeah, yeah, I'll have a plan made before we leave tonight, you'll make it out completely unharmed I assure you."

Chiya stood still, looking unsure of this plan, but felt pressured into doing this.

Hours later, Chiya was sitting in the back of the _Red Dove_, Seppuku's F-Zero machine. Seppuku was bringing them down the streets at a quick speed, most of the buildings to the sides going out of sight within seconds.

"Don't you get scared you're going to crash in this thing?" asked Chiya.

Seppuku waved his hand in the air, only holding on to the wheel with one hand, "Bah… these are built to withstand attacks, we're basically driving a block of metal."

The streets they were in were even worse looking, the roads were still maintained, but had a lot of debris on it, and stains, which may or may not have been blood.

"So how do you know where the lot is?" asked Chiya.

"Those are questions I can't answer completely, let's just say, I'm everywhere, yet nowhere."

Chiya prepared a response when suddenly the machine came to a rough stop, Chiya flailed her arms trying to regain steadiness in her seat. Seppuku typically was sitting completely still. Chiya grabbed her handgun prepared to fight several members of the Red Star. Seppuku pushed her handgun below her waist with two fingers.

"You won't be using that unless you are being cornered by a single person, I will be watching you closely from atop whatever building I can reach."

Chiya put her handgun away hesitantly, this was starting to sound like too much work for one inexperienced girl.

Seppuku grabbed her shoulder, "If you do not see any parts laying around outside, you do not go inside the building, come back and we will tackle it together" Seppuku instructed.

"Right" Chiya said nodding.

"Then go now, obviously stay clear of any of Blaskowitz's goons."

Chiya spun around suddenly, "Who is Blaskowitz?"

Seppuku waved his hand negatively, "I'll tell you later, just get going" he whipped his long rifle from his back and latched on to the wall of a building, beginning to climb.

Chiya carefully and quietly began walking towards the Red Star lot, it was like a mini-fortress with a junkyard of scrap metal. Chiya veered around the corner of the entrance and looked inside.

"Oh God…" she muttered.

There were 20 gang members at the most walking around the court doing separate things. "They're all so muscular!" she panicked.

Chiya looked back and saw Seppuku was on top of the building with his rifle, _Maybe he has some kind of silent rifle that can save me if I get caught by one_ she pondered. At the fear of getting caught at the entrance, she dashed over to a pile of metal parts. She kneeled over the parts to look at her situation more closely, one of her hands smashed into a white tube on the ground, 'zakila lubrifikazio'.

"Something foreign" she said throwing it away and wiping her hands off. She looked up at what the main attraction was, there appeared to be a mass amount of gang members working on a vehicle. She moved across piles of scrap, carefully searching for what she needs. She was getting especially close to some members and was trying to hold her breath so that she made absolutely no sound. The problem at hand, was that there did not appear to be any F-Zero parts to be seen. Suddenly she widened her eyes, as two men walked in front of her, one was a black person wearing a black and red muscle shirt, the other was a nearly gray looking man with too many tattoos.

"Dude, I'm going to go work out!" his massive biceps and six pack bulging in the others face.

"Yeah, I wish I could, but I'm waiting for that damn shipment to get here…" said the heavily tattooed man.

Chiya was shaking heavily, but somehow wasn't noticed, ironically, it would appear that both men's unrealistically huge muscles were blocking their sight of Chiya, who was sitting only meters from them. Suddenly a very pink skinned man with white facial hair came walking in carrying three crates at once. _Damn… how strong are these guys?_ she thought to herself.

"Here's the goods…three packs of assault rifles and grenades."

The tattooed man flailed his arms at him, "Just put them in the back with the rest of the goods!" he ordered.

_The goods, that must be where the parts are _she thought looking at the building. The only problem was that Seppuku ordered her not to go in without him, she looked up at his building, and could just barely make his image out. Seppuku still needed to recover, she couldn't let him take this much pressure.

Chiya began carefully moving across to the entrance of the building, looking back she could see that everyone was either to distracted engineering or working out. She was disgusted at how much physical strength they felt was needed to succeed. She quickly turned around the corner of the building and dashed to the nearest boxes she could see to take cover. Nobody appeared to be in the immediate area, but she could hear chains and metal clashing somewhere inside. There was a large window at the end of the hallway, she ran over to it silently and looked through it.

"Are you serious?" she asked herself.

Through the window was a huge fitness center, where there were even more gang members. She looked to her left and could see a room full of objects and crates, she entered the room and observed her surroundings. There were assault rifle crates, dumbells, money, and other expensive things all over the room. She lifted up one of the assault rifles, it was a APK-55 Assault rifle, the AK-47 looking rifle. She was having a difficult time lifting it for some reason, before she realized the barrel of the rifle had a chain attached to it, and tied to the chain was a 40 pound dumbbell. It sounded silly, but was somehow clever, as this meant only strong people could properly wield such a weapon.

She looked on the upper shelves and saw some large boxes, they appear to have been vehicle parts. She located a reactor and pulled it down carefully, naturally it was very heavy, but what wasn't heavy in this place? She opened the box, and could see a label on it: 'This reactor drive has been modified to fit with modified vehicles for the intentions of racing, installation on any ordinary vehicle likely will trigger a discharge which can be very hazardous, for the safety of the consumer, an F-Zero license is required to purchase this vehicular part.'

Chiya grinned and nodded, she began pulling down a booster as well, these two would be all she could carry though, the combat module would need to be collected at another time. She stacked the box and lifted both up, spinning around however, she bumped right into someone. Her facial expression suddenly changed to an extremely frightened look.

"Well look what we have here!" one of the goons yelled at her laughing.

Minutes later Chiya was sitting still in a chair, tied up. There were four gang members standing in the small room, three of them working out. One was standing in front of a computer trying to contact their boss. Chiya was shaking, regretting her decision greatly, she looked at the computer screen as a white, muscular man, with a silver-gold, half-shaved haircut appeared, this was the boss of Red Star. The two discussed what to do with Chiya for a few minutes, Chiya could not hear what the boss was saying from where she was sitting.

Chiya knew she was doomed, she had forgotten what Seppuku told her, which was to shoot if there was only one person cornering her, instead she allowed herself to be captured.

The man had stepped away from the computer screen smiling, "Well, looks like we got a young girl trying to steal our goods…"

Chiya looked at him nervously smiling, "W-well technically you stole them in the first place, so I'm really not the bad person here…"

The men all began laughing at her, finding her statement humorous. The man was still smiling and put his abnormally large hands on both of her arms,

"Let's cut to the chase! We 'know' that you are working for the Bloody Chain!" he accused her.

Chiya looked at him confused, waiting for him to continue.

"I mean, just look at your clothes, a stock hat? You're clearly one of Michael Chain's girls!"

Chiya got an annoyed expression on her face, "It's just the way I dress…"

The man began laughing, "Our boss demands you tell us of your plans! What were you doing with our goods?"

Chiya shook her head frantically, "I'm not in the Bloody Chain! You'll get nothing out of interrogating me!" she yelled.

All four men got around her, "Oh, we plan on doing more than 'interrogating' you."

Chiya bent her head to the side of her shoulder confused, "What else do you want from…" Her eyes suddenly half-closed, with an very bland expression.

Luckily for Chiya, Seppuku spun around into the room and took two shots, two of the muscled men fell dead to the ground. He dashed towards the other two and whacked their heads with his large rifle. After all of them were taken out he held his collarbone.

"Frankly, we don't have a need in our operations for a damsel…you need to stop getting yourself in these situations."

Chiya shut her eyes stressed, "Just cut me out of this please…"

Chiya was startled when he heard Seppuku shoot his gun at her. She looked to the side of her and he had shot the rope apart rather than cut it.

"Are you insane!?" she yelled at him.

"Yep" Seppuku agreed going over to the computer.

He began looking through it, and took several data items that were inside of it. He then walked out of the room, signaling Chiya to follow. The two went through some hallways and eventually came across the room again, she already had the boxes stacked.

"You lift all of these, and we'll get out of here."

"Lift all of them? Why don't you lift one?" she asked.

Seppuku didn't answer, he merely waited for her to do as he asked. An annoyed Chiya grabbed the boxes and began to follow him. They walked down the hallways, not even taking cover behind things.

Once they got to the door, Chiya ran up to him, "So how do we get through this unnoticed?"

"Follow me."

Chiya followed Seppuku outside, he walked right in front of all the other gang members, clearly being noticed by them.

Chiya was standing frightened, _He can't possibly fight all of these guys_.

Gang members began forming right in front of him, "You have guts showing up in Red Star territory Seppuku!" the pack leader yelled.

Seppuku pulled out his F-Zero machine keys and pressed a button.

"Sorry, I got lost, let me get my car and we'll leave…" said Seppuku.

Chiya was hiding behind him, ready for the beat down. The gang members started to laugh all together,

"You really think we're just going to let you walk out of here ali-"

Suddenly the _Red Dove_ flew right into them at a fast speed, propelling several of them into the air. Seppuku then began walking towards the _Red Dove_.

"Ready to go?" Seppuku asked Chiya.

Almost instantly Chiya darted into the back of the _Red Dove_, "Yep! Ready to go! Let's leave now please!" she begged.

Seppuku got in the vehicle and spun around, the gang members were all running towards the _Red Dove_, but it had already began leaving the lot. Seppuku was driving safely away from the area now, the cargo safely placed in the back of the vehicle.

Chiya looked down at her feet disgraced, "I'm sorry I went in without you…I was just worried you would hurt yourself" she said admittedly.

Seppuku turned his head to the side, "I'm not surprised that you took the hard path, and I don't think you made a bad decision."

Chiya looked up surprised at him, finally some recognition.

"What you did wrong however, is that you challenged my plan, but hadn't thought out what to do, if you were going in alone, you should have set aside my plan completely and went loose with your handgun, remember, I can't decide completely for you, some things you need to use your own judgment on."

Chiya understood clearly what he was saying, Chiya had been wondering when tied up if she should just run away from Seppuku, back into isolation, something she still needed to decide even after being saved again. A while later they made it back to the HQ safely, and Seppuku immediately left to attend to his own things.

Chiya met up with Earl again, who was not working on the F-Zero machine, but was still standing around the garage.

"So you're thinking of leaving? After going through all of that?" asked Earl.

A frustrated Chiya was crossing her arms, "I just didn't know what I was signing up for when I agreed to do this…I'm no killer, and while living here is much easier, I think I would be better off just finding a more suitable job, like a waitress."

Earl rubbed his chin, "You know, if you weren't at the bar that day, Seppuku would have died, he's been in situations before, but he had no chance of surviving that time, he may not seem like he is appreciative, but I think that is why he knows you belong here, because he see's something in you not many others see, not even me admittedly…"

Chiya sighed saying nothing for a few moments, "Well you have the parts now, maybe you can just do something else with this F-Zero machine, but I don't think I want this, this isn't how I want my life to go" she concluded walking away.

Earl stood watching her leave, "She's not that much younger than me, how can she be that stubborn…" he grumbled to himself.

Chiya walked back to her room and grabbed her blanket and box of ammo, before she turned off the light, she saw something next to the bed, something brown. She stood still, staring at it, then set down her things for a moment. She walked over and discovered what it was, it was two brown wallets. She slowly opened one and looked at the identity, it was one of the goons that Seppuku killed while she was tied up, all the licenses in the wallet were expired, but inside contained a large wad of cash. She took the money out counting it amazed, she looked at the other wallet, which also had money in it. She sat down on the bed looking at all of the money Seppuku had just given her.

Chiya shut her eyes and sighed, she put the blanket back on her bed and the ammo box back on the table. Seppuku successfully pulled her back in, with the use of collected money.

To be Continued!


	8. Lap 8

==LAP 8=

Chiya and Earl were sitting in a private cafeteria drinking coffee, Chiya was sitting in a cream colored soft chair with plants on each side. Earl simply sat crossing his leg over his knee, the room was silent. Earl finally grinned and looked up at Chiya, "Alright I'll bite…why 'did' you decide to stay?"

Chiya grinned back and shrugged, "I was just angry at the time, after sleeping last night I realized how nice it actually is here, besides, I want that F-Zero machine" she said taking a sip of her coffee.

Earl grinned more widely, revealing his teeth, "-or maybe it's someone here you can't stand to be without?"

Suddenly Seppuku slammed open the door obnoxiously, his scarf was blowing in the air still, meaning he ran to the room. "I got some useful information out of the data collected from Red Star."

Chiya was staring at him without turning her head, Earl stood up immediately however, "Hopefully the location of their hideout?" he asked hopefully.

"Nope, but it provided us with leads on where Bloody Chain's hideout is."

Chiya set down her cup of coffee, "-and what kind of lead are we talking about exactly?"

A few minutes later the group was standing in Seppuku's office, next to a few computer terminals with large screens. Seppuku was pointing at a 3D image of Michael Chain's vehicle, along with other similar vehicles.

"This data claims that Chain and his goons are commonly traveling around the most police protected area of the lower city, meaning they have something there that is of significance to them…" Seppuku explained holding his chin.

Earl waved his hand, "Perhaps they are getting certain supplies in that area."

Seppuku pointed back at him, "That is what you will be figuring out today."

Earl widened his eyes, "Me?"

"-and Chiya of course."

Chiya breathed in at the sound of another assignment, "But we aren't assaulting anything this time?"

"Don't know, if you see the _Wild Boar_, you are to follow it, wherever it ends up I want to know, so we can finally nail Chain" Seppuku said swatting his fist into his palm.

The two stood up, but Seppuku pointed at Earl again, "Earl, when you get back, you need to have the Red Dove prepared for the upcoming race in the Grand Prix."

Earl got an annoyed expression on his face, "You know…it would be a lot easier to do this if you weren't bashing it up, every, single, night."

Seppuku began to laugh, "Don't be silly, there is always room for bashing, now get going you two!"

Chiya nodded and left out the door, Earl following. Earl only had a normal vehicle to drive to their destination, it would stand no match against an F-Zero machine if the mission went bad, and if it were attacked by an F-Zero machine with a combat module, the vehicle would be smashed into pieces instantly.

Earl and Chiya were in the garage, and Earl showed her a door in the back of the garage, and to Chiya's surprise, there was another garage.

"How on Earth is this place so huge?" asked Chiya.

Earl chuckled, "Wait until you see the training room…"

"Training room?"

Earl crossed his arms looking downward, "Eh…ask Seppuku about it later, we're on a mission."

The two approached his vehicle, it was a bland white and yellow hovercraft. He got in and ignited the engines, then opened the doors to the outside. As they drove out of the garage quickly, he wasted no time closing it right away. Chiya was surprised to see that the garage door was disguised as a normal looking building on the outside. They began driving to their destination, which was only minutes away.

"So the interesting thing about F-Zero engines, is that we are using one right now, only it isn't supercharged" Earl explained.

"I know" Chiya said challengingly.

Earl nodded in approval, "Alright, did you know that the first combat module was actually made for police units so that they could comprehend criminals?"

Chiya shook her head negatively, "I just know things about engines because I had past experiences with them."

Earl glanced over at her, "I can see why Seppuku scouted you for a member, I just don't understand why he wants you for combat purposes."

Chiya shrugged, "Why not?"

Earl puckered his lips thinking, "Well, if you have even the littlest skill in engineering, then I would imagine he would put you to work with me fixing the Red Dove."

Chiya had to consider what he said, because it was for the most part true. Was Seppuku just using her as a meat shield?

"But then again, you don't seem to have much self-confidence, he could be trying to help you in that sort."

Chiya swung her head towards him angrily, "I have self-confidence! I just…"

For reasons unknown, Chiya could not make out the words she wanted to use. For the rest of the ride the two had an awkward silence, they parked the vehicle in an isolated area in case Michael Chain came causing havoc. The two sat together in an area in the center of the streets.

Chiya was looking at Earl, he looked like someone who lived to work, and had no life outside of the garage. His brown hair was waving in the air, seeing this somehow reminded her of the first day they met, before she even knew who Seppuku was.

"How did you get mixed in with Seppuku?" she asked.

Earl smirked at the question, then looked straight forward, "Well…as I recall, Seppuku had just joined F-Zero, he was a new racer, and I always liked new blood, so I joined in as a Seppuku fan."

"Was he bad at first?" she asked.

Earl scratched his head, "That's what is strange… he actually in his first race was already combating with Captain Falcon, as if he had been racing all his life."

Chiya was intrigued by the fact that Seppuku actually fought Captain Falcon on the track, this makes Seppuku sound like a villain.

"Strangely enough his fan base still isn't very good…but anyways, one day I got to meet him in person, fan to racer, and we actually began talking for awhile, after a while of talking, he revealed a plan of his to start a small two-man vigilante group, and oddly enough he seemed intrigued in me."

"So you open handedly joined him" she tried to answer.

"Not quite, I volunteered to be his engineer for him, as work credit… but not long after he wanted me to build an F-Zero machine and join him, and not long after that, he wanted me to do these kinds of crazy missions with him, I tried to leave, but then I saw the money to be made here…"

Chiya widened her eyes at his reasoning, the money, it was the same reason Chiya decided to stay. What was Seppuku's game? Does he just want the gangs removed so he can establish his own rule down in the streets?

"Hey Earl…I noticed that there was a helmet that looked like Blood Falcon's in the lobby…"

"That was the first thing I asked him about when I arrived at his headquarters, I've asked him about that for years, and he always just responds with a 'I don't know' when I ask him where he got it" Earl answered pondering.

Chiya was suddenly startled as something rolled under her chair, it was a metallic ball. Earl was staring at it confused as well, Chiya grabbed and brought it up, both of them observing it.

"What is that?" asked Earl.

"I'm not sure."

Suddenly the ball exploded, flashing both Chiya and Earl's eyes, everything was white for Chiya, but she quickly felt her life fading away, and then everything went completely dark. The last thing that came to Chiya's mind, was that they were killed by a grenade.

Much later, Chiya awoke, she was tied to a chair once again, except Earl was with her as well. "Where are we Earl?"

He turned her head towards her, "Looks like Red Star caught us."

"Red Star? I thought we were worrying about the Bloody Chain…"

Chiya looked around the room, this was much different than the Red Star base she was at last time, this room was empty, but had two blood-red banners, with a gold trimmed red star for the symbol. Chiya was panicking, again, but some chatter could be heard coming towards the only door in the room.

"What do they want with us?" she asked Earl.

"I have no idea, probably want to gut us" he admitted.

Suddenly two muscular men charged into the room holding AKP-55 rifles, with dumbbells chained to the barrels. Chiya said nothing, another person was about to enter the room. Earl and Chiya now knew that they were going to be talked to by someone before they receive their fate, the fact that two men with assault rifles came in typically was not a good sign. At last the man walked in the room, but this one was different, he was light skinned, had a half shaved cream colored Mohawk, green pants, long boots, and was wearing a bright red muscle shirt, the eye catcher was the mysterious symbol in the corner of his muscle shirt, a hammer and sickle. This was the boss of Red Star, Brock Blaskovitz.

He grinned and began chuckling, "Looks like we finally captured the heart of Seppuku's army…" he said in a Russian tone.

"Blaskovitz I assume?" Earl asked.

He nodded back, "There will be no questions for me, Seppuku made the mistake of releasing his mission specs publicly, tracking you down was very simple, I would ask you to thank him for me, but that will be quite impossible."

"Seppuku you damn fool…" Earl grumbled silently.

"What do you want with us?" Chiya demanded.

"I said no questions female!" he lectured, the veins in his muscles began to pop.

He was walking around the chairs slowly, "You stole parts from us, so I know that you two can engineer F-Zero…which is why I decided to give you options."

Chiya and Earl looked at each other unsure of what was to happen.

"Option one is that I kill you two personally, option two is that you remain in our garage forever, working on our machines."

Earl nodded, "Nice options, why do you even persist on doing this gang war?"

Brock had stood in front of the two, with an angered expression, "I come from a time of Cold War, in a nation called the Soviet Union, I truly believed in Communism, I was member of KGB and frozen voluntarily in lab testing."

Earl shook his head, "I have no clue what you are talking about, that time period is so ancient to us today…"

"You can imagine my surprise when I awake in the present day, to see that both the Soviet Union, and United States has dissolved, that Communism failed… but I would not let the spirit die like this, so I formed the Red Star to form a new union, and how it has grown!"

Earl nodded, "I see what you are saying, but why not just merge with the Bloody Chain?"

Brock spit on the ground, "Bloody Chain is brutes, they have a different perspective on how things should be run, and I do not approve."

"So you want us to work for you?" asked Chiya.

"-or we can just kill you" he said charging the barrel right against Chiya's forehead.

Earl panicked when he saw Chiya at gunpoint, "Well I don't know what it is but you made the choice much more easy for us!" he said laughing nervously.

Brock lowered his assault rifle, "I am glad you see it this way…" he began to laugh.

Later on Chiya and Earl was working inside of a huge workplace with several hover bikes and vehicles. Two guards stood tall watching them, they were assigned to making sure all vehicles worked properly.

"Don't those guards need guns?" asked Chiya.

"I don't mean to make a joke in this situation, but they kind of have guns already…" Earl stated.

Chiya was working, but not very efficiently, she was trying more to find a way out of the building as an escape. She looked over at the guards again, who were both standing cross armed.

"We're not really going to keep doing this are we?" asked Chiya.

Earl shook his head negatively, "Of course not, we just need to figure out how to escape first."

Chiya nodded, "Exactly what I was thinking…"

The two continued to look around the room, the room itself wasn't constructed well, but with those guards watching they would never get a chance to scan the room for an opening. Chiya spun around looking for other doors in the room, but there were none.

Earl looked at Chiya then scratched his head looking away uncomfortably, "So ignore the fact I was looking…but I notice something is bulging out of your right butt cheek…"

Chiya blushed immediately and turned around, "That's just my handgun…wait… but they took it from me…"

Chiya had a surprised look on her face and checked around her waist for the object. She then realized it was not in any pocket, it was literally in her shorts. She looked down embarrassed and grabbed it out. Earl widened his eyes as he saw the object in her hand, but made no sound. Chiya brought it up to her face, 'Red Dove' the object was titled, it was the key to the _Red Dove_ that Seppuku always carried, with the 'locate and autopilot' button.

"Earl we have-"

Earl signaled her to be quiet, not wanting anyone else to hear about their discovery. For whatever the reason, Seppuku slipped his key into Chiya when she wasn't looking. The only problem was that getting the garage door to open would be unlikely, if they found a way to do this they could easily break free, as long as Chiya still knew how to drive the _Red Dove._

Earl was flicking his fingers thinking, he then nodded, "Alright, I know what we can do, I'll go ask if we can use a fitness center to get some muscles, and then maybe I can find where to open the garage door."

Chiya crossed her arms, "Why would he let us use the fitness center?"

Earl shook his head, "Honestly, it's just an idea, we could try and persuade him."

Chiya was thinking, and then got a devious grin, "Actually, yeah, you go do that…I have a plan of my own down here…"

Earl was curious what Chiya was up to, but he held his questions and walked towards the guards. Chiya turned around and kneeled, opening up one of the hover bikes engines. Earl approached the guards, who all had pumping muscles.

"Hey, since we're new here, I was wondering if I could see your fitness center."

The guard bent over looking at him, "Yeah bro! You could use some lifting! But you just wanna get out of here I bet!" he accused Earl.

Earl chuckled, "Get out of here? I don't think I am in a very good position to do that right now, I'm scrawny compared to you guys and am unarmed…"

The guard rubbed his chin, "I'll go ask the Boss!" he said charging out of the room.

The other guard was staring at him angrily, Earl looked away from him and back at Chiya, she was still working on the bikes engine. Earl sighed, seeing as her plan was to just wait for him to do everything.

Not long after the guard left, Brock came storming into the room, "My guard says you want to leave already…"

Earl shook his head negatively, "Not true, I said I wanted to see your fitness center, Seppuku never had one so I thought maybe that would motivate me to work more efficiently."

Brock was grinning rubbing his head, he began thinking about Earl's request, "I still do not trust you, so I will supervise you personally then, follow me."

The plan was quickly collapsing, it was not surprising that Earl would be watched if he convinced them, but the boss would watch him, who was not someone who could be bribed or anything. The two walked into a large, chilling, room full of weights everywhere. Nearly fifty people were exercising in the room, Brock and Earl stepped down a fleet of stairs to the bottom.

"This is it!" Brock gloated.

Earl truly was amazed at how expensive the room must have been, but since both gangs stole so often, it should not have been surprising.

"You can work here if you wish, but only when I am here…" Brock demanded.

Earl nodded, and looked around for something to do, hopefully if he exercised long enough, Brock would leave temporarily.

"Boss! I'm bench pressing 500 pounds! Come spot me bro!" a gang member yelled.

"500? It is nice! I will spot you…" Brock stood in front of the man distracted.

Earl found this the best opportunity to run and find the control room, he quietly charged back up stairs. He entered the main hallway, but had to hurry and find the room before he was uncovered.

Meanwhile Chiya was working on another hover bike, when suddenly one of the guards approached her. She could feel that he was standing over her, but was pretending not to notice. She was startled when she saw his large, meaty arm slam against the hover bike.

"This one's mine…pretty sweet huh?" he asked.

Chiya nodded, "Yes, it is very nice…"

"Y'know… I was thinking that maybe my bike would be more sweet if you gave it a new slick decal…"

Chiya scratched the back of her head, not responding, suddenly her stock cap was pulled off by the guard. She turned around angrily, "I'd like that back please…"

"Sure…sure…you know, you look pretty without your hat on." he flirted.

Chiya suddenly widened her eyes, _Oh God, is this seriously happening, here and now? _she thought to herself.

"I was thinking maybe I could turn on my hover bike and show yo-"

"No!" Chiya begged quickly.

The guard was staring at her confused, Chiya closed her eyes and giggled, "It's uh…not ready yet, don't turn it on…"

The guard shrugged and walked away finally, Chiya exhaled, "Come on Earl…" she said to herself silently.

Earl had found that the master computer was in Brock's office, it had portraits everywhere of himself, and more Red Star banners. Earl was searching through the computer quickly for the building access section. Earl had come across something else, a map of where they were. He caught a glimpse quickly of the area of Mute City they were in, but had more serious things to attend to. After looking through several things, he found the building access section. Without hesitation, he pressed the large red button that said 'Open All'. Immediately he realized the mistake he made, when the entire building began to flash red with a siren going off.

"Oops…" he muttered.

Chiya was finishing up one last hover bike when she noticed that the garage was opening, without hesitation she clicked the button calling the Red Dove to find her.

Brock stopped watching his goon exercise and spun around, not seeing Earl anywhere. Brock clapped his hands angrily, "Find them!"

Earl grabbed a blunt object and smashed the master computer, destroying it. This would set back the Red Star for awhile, not having any of their most valued information in their systems anymore. Earl was about to leave when suddenly Brock and three other goons ran up to the door.

"You deadbeat!" Brock yelled.

"Oh, Blaskovitz! Uh… I was just leaving…" Earl said running then sliding under them.

"After him!" Brock yelled.

Earl was being chased by everyone, before he knew it, one of the goons grabbed an assault rifle off the wall and tried taking aim. They fired but Earl rounded the corner hallway just in time.

Everyone had left the garage, and Chiya just finished working on the last bike. Earl soon ran in with about ten other gang members chasing him. Luckily just in time, the _Red Dove_ dashed inside of the garage and opened the cockpit automatically.

Chiya leaped into the drivers seat and set the GPS system, "Come on Earl! It's time to go!"

Earl jumped in the back and without even sitting, the cockpit closed and they departed. Brock ran up to the opened garage door, stomping angrily.

"Come on you fools! Get on your bikes and kill those two!" he demanded.

Suddenly everyone got on their hover bikes and were ready to chase down Chiya and Earl.

"Chiya, they're going to swarm us once they all get in their vehicles!" Earl panicked.

Chiya nodded, trying to maneuver the streets, "Remember that plan I told you I had?"

All the gang members were starting up their engines, Brock crossed his arms and was grinding his teeth, "Bring me their heads boys!"

Suddenly the bikes took off, but began to explode before they even made it out. Dust and smoke completely blew Brock back, he wiped his face, and waited for the dust to get out of the way. "What the-" he muttered.

Every single bike's engines were shot, one of the gang members jumped off, "Our engines! They were super charged! Like an F-Zero engine!" he panicked.

Brock screamed into the air, then began walking towards a special door. "So they got an F-Zero machine…two can play at that game!" he yelled opening a door.

Inside was a red hover bike with side platings and a yellow star, it was the only F-Zero machine ever made in the form of a bike.

"If you want something done right, you do it yourself…" Brock complained starting the engine.

The side of the F-Zero bike said, 'Stalin's Might', the bike was not an officially registered machine for the Grand Prix. He quickly took off dodging all of the destroyed hover bikes.

Chiya looked at Earl, "Look's like we're home free!" she said excitedly.

Earl looked behind the _Red Dove_ and could see _Stalin's Might_ approaching them. "Not quite I'm afraid!" he panicked.

Chiya gasped now seeing the unfamiliar type of F-Zero machine approaching to the left. Brock was grinding his teeth at the thought of smashing the _Red Dove_.

"Chiya, you're going to have to combat him, just quickly shift left while holding the lock-turn button when he is in sight."

"Got it!" Chiya responded quickly.

_Stalin's Might_ was seconds away from making contact with the _Red Dove_, and he was beginning to shift to the left even more, preparing for an attack. Chiya was starting to panic, but had an idea, she began to go more to the far right.

"What are you doing?" Earl asked loudly.

"Going to try and trick him…"

The _Red Dove_ was now practically on the sidewalk, right against the buildings. Brock now got perfectly to the far left of Chiya, and was beginning to shift to the right more.

"No, you can't do this you're going to get us killed if you leave us this opened" Earl complained.

Chiya brushed off his comment and waited for the right moment, _Stalin's Might _was now in range for a perfect attack, but right at the last second Chiya completely hit the brakes, just as Brock dashed the the right, sending his vehicle right against the building's wall. Sparks went everywhere as _Stalin's Might_ was scraping against the wall constantly.

"Good one, but that's only making him more mad…" said Earl.

Brock spun his vehicle around, facing the _Red Dove_ head on, Brock growled to himself, "Not bad, but I am finishing this."

Suddenly another F-Zero machine was approaching, with about ten other similar looking ones. It was the _Wild Boar_, Michael Chain's vehicle, his goons all drove similar looking vehicles, but they were grey and had no combat modules.

Brock was looking at his limited options, slamming his arms on the dashboard of _Stalin's Might_, he decided to retreat quickly. For reasons unknown, the _Red Dove_ was completely disregarded, as the Bloody Chain simply pursued Brock Blaskovitz instead.

"Well…let's go home" an exhausted Earl said silently.

Seppuku was sitting in his office, on his computer terminal. Earl and Chiya stormed into the room, "What was that all about!" Earl yelled.

Seppuku waved at him, "Hi."

Chiya put the _Red Dove's_ key on his table, Seppuku grabbed at and put it back in his coat pocket. Earl was still waiting for a response, but was getting nowhere, Seppuku appeared to be waiting for Earl to talk.

"Alright…how did you mess up that badly? You accidentally left the mission specs to be intercepted by Red Star, we were lucky to make it out of there alive!" Earl shouted.

Seppuku chuckled, "Accidentally? That was intentional."

Earl and Chiya both got shocked expressions, "What!?" they both shouted.

Seppuku put his arms together and leaned over his desk, "I knew you would find nothing, but I realize that Red Star is commonly watching over that area for Bloody Chain members, I realized they would take you right to them, if I played my cards right… and Chiya doesn't do anything stupid."

Chiya looked at him angrily, Seppuku went back onto his computer, "I already went and got your vehicle Earl, and now I can look on the Red Dove's GPS and get the location of their main headquarters, whenever I wish."

Earl exhaled, "I see how it is, I don't want to be part of 'those' kinds of missions anymore though…"

Seppuku nodded, "Fine."

The two waited for further orders, Seppuku was thinking, "As I said, get the Red Dove ready for the next race, I have nothing for either of you to do tomorrow…"

Maybe now Chiya could actually go and spend some money on much needed things, the risk of being ambushed by gang members remained, but Red Star was severely crippled without their gang bikes, and Bloody Chain does not normally roam around like they had just done.

Later on at night, everyone was asleep, except for Seppuku, who was out in Mute City, acting as people's guardian angel. Chiya had awaken and felt the need to go for a walk. She quietly roamed the hallways, which was nearly pitch black. She had entered the lobby again, looking at the display cases, the one thing she walked over to, was the Blood Falcon helmet, that was basically destroyed.

After today's events, it had become clear that the lives of his allies could be expendable, this was making Chiya even more stressed. Chiya needed answers immediately, where was Seppuku's loyalty, to helping others, or being self-centered?

To be Continued!


	9. Lap 9

==LAP 9=

Chiya was standing firmly, firing her handgun constantly. The shells from her handgun were dropping on the metal floor instantly after firing. She had a new handgun, but it was the same kind as before, Brock Blaskovitz had confiscated her original gun during her capture. Chiya had one bullet left in the chamber, she had to finish this. She fired the last bullet, then lowered her handgun.

Seppuku ran up to her, "Chiya!" he shouted.

Chiya quickly looked back at him, Seppuku stood aside of her, "That was terrible, you may have hit most of the targets, but you only just grazed the edges, and that last one you didn't even hit!" he lectured.

Chiya had been training inside of the training room, another large room.

Chiya holstered her weapon, "Well I never pictured myself blowing things up with this machine gun anyways…"

Seppuku face palmed, "That is not a machine gun…"

Earl charged into the room panting, Seppuku and Chiya both turned to him instantly, Seppuku began to approach him.

"Seppuku, the Galactic Federation is on the phone, they want to speak to you right away!"

Seppuku growled, "How did they track this base?"

Earl shrugged, "I have no idea, but they didn't sound happy."

Seppuku said nothing else, and simply began walking back to his office. Earl looked down at Chiya, and the two then proceeded to follow Seppuku.

Seppuku was privately communicating with the Galactic Federation in his office, Earl and Chiya standing by waiting for him to finish. The Galactic Federation was the largest law enforcement in the galaxy, it had several branches, going from simple police, to the undercover agents, like Rick Wheeler.

Seppuku slammed his fist on the table in anger, "No, we're going to talk right here!" he demanded talking into the phone.

Chiya began to tremble, wondering what Seppuku did this time. If the Galactic Federation had requested him, then it was probably not for happy reasons. The Galactic Federation did not watch over the planet she was raised on as much, Mute City was the biggest center of attention for them, which was ironic since there was a gang war going on.

Seppuku slammed the phone back into his computer clearly enraged. He continued to stare at the computer screen for a few more seconds before staring at Chiya with a very enraged facial expression. Seppuku continued staring at Chiya for a set of time, Chiya moved her eyes a little, feeling the awkward moment.

"So have you always had that hat?" she asked smiling at him with her eyes shut.

"Damnit, shut up…" he muttered.

Chiya's eyes began to water at his demand, Seppuku stood up and walked to the door.

"We're expected at the Galactic Federation Headquarters, they did not state why" he simply explained.

Earl looked at him confused, " 'we're'? You mean they know who we are as well?"

"No, but you two are coming with me anyways…" he said in a cold tone.

The three walked to the garage, Seppuku signaled for the _Red Dove_, which opened up upon pressing the button. Chiya and Earl were to drive the normal vehicle, trying to keep up with Seppuku. Chiya sat in the side seat, and Earl got in and sat down, in an uncomfortable stance. Before the two even buckled in, Seppuku was dashing away. Earl slammed his hands on the wheel.

"Damnit! Will you just calm down!" he yelled aloud.

He quickly tried to keep up with the _Red Dove_, Seppuku was being at least fair enough to drive slowly. Chiya looked at Earl, who appeared frustrated.

"Why is Seppuku so upset about this? I mean, I understand why, but he is usually so cool about everything else."

Earl let out a laugh, "You'll find out not long from now, let's just start off by saying, he doesn't really like the Galactic Federation very much…"

Chiya nodded, "Well he made that clear."

Earl exhaled trying to calm down, "I'll be honest, I'm not scared what they are going to want with him, I'm afraid of how he is going to act in front of them."

Chiya grinned, "He does have that charm…"

The Galactic Federation HQ was in one of the tallest buildings in Mute City, it was one of the many points of interest in the Upper City. It was a fairly far from Seppuku's base, but only a bit away from the track, which Chiya was able to walk to near the beginning of her adventure.

Chiya pushed her legs together and looked down, "Do you like Seppuku?"

Earl sighed, concentrating on the _Red Dove_, "He isn't a bad person, I promise you that, if you were his own daughter, he would still treat you the same way, the man has that kind of attitude about things, and unfortunately, is very stubborn."

"He kind of reminds me of Captain Falcon, even his face sort of looks like him" Chiya pointed out.

Earl shook in agreement, "Yeah, he has the same facial features in a way, he even has muscles, he just never reveals them because he is always wearing that dark, moody, coat of his."

Chiya held her head by the cheek, looking at the _Red Dove_, a good question was where Seppuku obtained that F-Zero machine if he already had it before he met Earl.

"Never mention Captain Falcon to Seppuku though, it get's him worked up" Earl stated.

"Why's that?" she asked, once again trying to learn who's side Seppuku is on.

"Not sure, anytime he see's Captain Falcon's image he get's all angry, even in races he tries pushing Falcon, same goes for Blood Falcon though, he seems to just hate both of them."

_If he hates both a good and bad guy, he must be neutral_ Chiya thought to herself.

The two continued to talk about less important things until they arrived in the Upper City, it was incredible how different it was than the lower part. Likely the most noticeable thing, is that there was actual traffic, in the lower parts it was always a ghost town. Other differences was that there were more lights on buildings, people walking around, a body of water, and ships flying around in the sky. Chiya looked around for the tallest building, and eventually spotted it, a huge tower, this was the HQ.

Earl pointed at people to the sides of the road, "See that? Look how excited everyone is getting over an F-Zero machine driving down your ordinary road, it's crazy."

Chiya looked outside, and he was right, people were pointing, vehicles were pulling over, and some people were taking photos, Chiya originally was like this not long ago, but forgot just how dull her life use to be.

A few minutes later, they all met up in front of the HQ, guards standing at the door. Seppuku appeared to be back in his calm state, standing still with his coat blowing with the wind. He looked over at the two and signaled to follow, they all walked together to the door of the building, the guards simply letting them through without a struggle.

Chiya was amazed at how advanced this building was compared to lower city buildings, like the now destroyed bar. What was confusing was that no one had come to greet Seppuku or anything, he was just proceeding throughout the building like he knew the place by heart. What was truly strange however, was when they came to a door that required access, Seppuku had pulled out a card and swiped it in, giving him access. Chiya was truly confused, but did not speak, fearing another negative comment towards her.

The door opened revealing an elevator, the three stepped in, and Seppuku entered what floor he wished to go to.

"When we get up there, you will not speak unless told to" Seppuku commanded.

Chiya nodded and waited for the elevator to take them up all the way. Chiya and Earl looked at each other, Seppuku still just looking forward motionless. The door opened, and they stepped forward, now in a hallway leading to several offices. Finally, Seppuku led them into a comfortable looking room with huge windows, where he shut the door. A woman was standing against the windows, then turned around to greet him, it was Jody Summer, one of the main leaders of the Galactic Federation, and F-Zero racer, piloting the _White Cat_.

"Lieutenant…" she greeted seriously.

"Yo" Seppuku greeted back.

"We've ha-"

"How did you track me down?" Seppuku demanded.

Jody Summer and Seppuku were both standing still looking only at each other, it was like they were equals.

"We've always known where you were."

Chiya felt that this conversation was going to get awkward, it had only been seconds, and Seppuku already seemed to be running the conversation.

"Seppuku we've had it with your illegal group, you left hundreds of people thinking we were attacked by terrorists when all of those explosions went off in Red Star's base yesterday…"

"Hang on a minute!" Seppuku shouted.

He spun around at Chiya immediately, "You blew things up!? Progress! I'm so proud of you Chiya!" he yelled at her excitedly.

Chiya was somewhat afraid, both of Jody Summer and how Seppuku was acting, "…thanks…" she muttered silently.

Jody face palmed, "Seppuku… you can't be doing these things, you don't work for the Galactic Federation anymore!" she lectured.

"Damn right I don't! At least I get the job done."

Jody slammed her eyes shut growling, then exhaled, "Since you insist on being a child…I'll get to the chase…you are going to stop getting involved in this gang war, or we will have you arrested, like many of the other criminals on the streets."

Seppuku chuckled, "Like Michael Chain, Black Shadow, Blood Falcon, Samurai Go-"

Jody poked at his chest violently, "We have this gang war under control! You are only provoking more violence!"

"-and where is this, supposed control? Was it in that bar that exploded?" he joked at Summer.

_Why is he challenging her so much, he could get us all in trouble_ Chiya thought to herself confused.

"You are not appreciating what help we have been giving very much…" she lectured.

"I'm glad you people fired me, I was such a fool, pretending to help people, spending all that money on spectacular clothes like yours" he said acknowledging Summer's clothing.

Jody was trying to prevent herself from blushing, then turned around, "Earl, get him out of here, I said what needed to be said…"

Earl grabbed Seppuku by the arm and began dragging him away, "Oh, and I'm looking forward to beating you in the Grand Prix!" he shouted while leaving.

"You, stay here…" Jody said pointing at Chiya.

"Yes ma'am?" she said saluting.

Jody closed the door, blocking Seppuku from eavesdropping.

"What are you doing with this man?" she asked Chiya.

Chiya was trying to think of an answer, but surprisingly was having an issue coming up with an immediate answer, "Uh…well he saved me from a bad fate, and took me off the streets, into a better home."

Jody nodded, "You are hanging around a bad crowd, you should leave now before you get yourself into trouble" she warned.

"I'm not sure I understand though, what is Seppuku doing wrong?" she asked.

Jody brushed her hair aside, "He is interfering with police business, he no longer works here, so what he is doing is dangerous, disruptive, and against the law."

Chiya looked behind her, making sure the door was shut, "Why did Seppuku get fired from the Galactic Federation?" she asked silently.

Jody walked over to the large window again, looking over Mute City, "Let's just say…his methods of working was a bit…unorthodox, so we had to get rid of him…"

Jody put her hand on the window, looking downward, "It was a huge loss, he was a natural born cop, but…he just had some kind of bloodlust…he believed that criminals deserved nothing but a cold death" she said with a solid expression.

She turned back at Chiya, "He was of course, very angry when we fired him, it was only a short while after that we discovered that he was F-Zero racing, and to be honest, it wasn't very surprising to either of us here."

Chiya nodded, "I agree."

Jody grinned, "So you will escape from him then?"

Chiya was staring into her eyes, she was very similar to Seppuku, her eyes would not move the slightest bit until a response was given.

"No." she said exhaling.

Jody Summer shook her head in disapproval, "I see…just wait though, by the end of this, you will have met with an unlikely fate, even if we don't really arrest him."

Chiya was becoming offended by her lack of faith in Seppuku, "Nothing will happen, once this gang war is resolved, Seppuku will likely retire and focus on F-Zero."

Jody let out a single laugh, "Fine, but let me tell you this, no matter what, do not attach yourself too much to your companions, it will only lead to suffering one day…"

The words she just spoke left a chill going down Chiya's spine, without saying anything, Chiya turned and walked out the door.

Seppuku and Earl had been waiting for her to come out, Seppuku immediately walked up to Chiya. "What did that bat say about me?" he demanded.

Chiya looked away, afraid of Seppuku's superior power over her, "She didn't recognize me, so she wanted an introduction, that's it."

Seppuku was looking into Chiya's eyes, looking for a sign of untruth, but ultimately spun around not doing anything.

"Well that was fun!" he gloated.

Earl sighed, as they walked back into the elevator.

Not long after, Seppuku raced home, this time leaving the two way behind in the upper city. Chiya and Earl were simply enjoying their time in a crime free area for once, going around the city.

"So you've ever been up here before?" asked Earl.

"Only once, when I first arrived in Mute City" she said smiling.

"I wish we could just operate up here, but Seppuku insists on laying low."

Chiya broke her smile, looking at her legs with her eyes half closed, "She told me that I shouldn't get to attached to you guys, as it will just leave to suffering…" she spoke in an unsure sounding tone.

Earl shrugged, "Well, that just sounds like the GF trying to scare you, to be fair though, Seppuku could use some scaring by now."

Chiya giggled, "Didn't seem like he was scared…"

Earl flailed his arm in the air, "Yeah, that is exactly what I was talking about, he just made Jody look like a fool, and believe it or not, we are on their side, but he makes it sound like we're looking for a war with them!" he complained.

Earl breathed in, then looked at Chiya, "Screw Seppuku, I know a place up here I should show you."

"Okay" Chiya simply responded.

The two drove up to a café, which had only a few others parked there. The two entered the café and sat down, the diner was clearly made for F-Zero fans, specifically Captain Falcon fans, as it had many pictures and other things of him.

"I actually was a Captain Falcon fan before I met Seppuku" Chiya stated to Earl.

"Captain Falcon is one of the good role model racers afterall" the man running the place said walking over to them. He had brown hair, a white shirt with a red bowtie, and had average muscles, his name was Bart Lemming.

"Hello Bart" Earl greeted.

Bart put his arm on the table, "What are we talking about?" he asked.

"Just got back from a mission with Seppuku, he kind of get's to your nerves quickly though…" Earl admitted.

Bart looked at Chiya, "Oh this is Chiya, a new associate of his" Earl answered for her.

Bart nodded, "We've met before."

Chiya looked at him confused, "You're probably mistaken, I live down in the lower parts of the city."

Bart grinned, "You're probably right then."

The broadcasting screen on the wall began to pull up an advertisement for the next race, it was flashing poker cards across the screen, then showed the Blue Falcon racing on the track. While the camera was following the Blue Falcon, more cards were flying towards the screen as special effects, finally displaying the message, _Purchase tickets now : Casino Palace, Mute City_.

Chiya was staring at the Blue Falcon driving around the track, she felt that she had to be a die hard Seppuku fan, now that she was associated with him, but something about Captain Falcon still stuck to Chiya more.

"So Mute City has two tracks?" asked Chiya.

The two began to laugh at Chiya, who now felt as if she had asked a stupid question.

"There is more than that, I think five or six are in this one city" Earl replied.

Chiya looked at him quickly with a surprised face, "How? How can this city hold so many race tracks?"

Bart was cleaning a cup with a rag while discussing with her, "There is the underground track, which was the previous race, Casino palace, the sky track, one that is just above the atmosphere, and one more normal track on the ground."

Earl let out a laugh, "All of which Captain Falcon owns in the races…"

Bart nodded, "Captain Falcon is a man of talent, he even has time to hunt the unlawful of the universe."

The three had continued to talk for a bit, Chiya and Earl eventually requesting drinks. They were in no rush to get back to base, and certainly was not anxious to get back. The discussion on Captain Falcon seemed to be what was going around the room, not long after entering the café, most of the other customers left, leaving only the three in the building.

"The worst he ever really did was in the great accident, which led to Blood Falcon's creation" Bart stated.

Earl was about to reply, when suddenly Bart gasped at the sight of something outside of the café. Earl and Chiya looked quickly, to see a pink F-Zero machine drive in. It's body was fat, and the fins had flames on them.

"Fire Stingray…" Bart muttered.

Suddenly he opened the door, and began to walk in, it was Samurai Goroh. Chiya was frightened at Goroh's casual expression, simply walking in and sitting next to Chiya. Chiya was not looking at him, fearing him greatly, he was in the top list of F-Zero racers, right up with Captain Falcon, and to some extent, a rival.

"Samurai Goroh of the Fire Stingray…" Bart welcomed with a dull tone.

Goroh sat still, not responding to the welcoming. Earl had a look of discontent, not looking directly at the Japanese Warrior. Bart cleaned the table in front of Goroh, Goroh within seconds had completely killed the conversation.

"You're pretty brave, showing yourself in public like this, considering you are a criminal" Bart said accusingly.

Goroh simply smiled at him, "Give me your smallest glass, I aint' staying here long…"

Bart continued giving him a look of displeasure, but gave him a small glass of coffee. Samurai Goroh is well known for his pirate activities, he had a gang of his own, but they were not territorial, they traveled through space hijacking and looting random ships they encounter.

Goroh quickly drank his coffee then got up, walking back to the door, "I can tell when I am not wanted around, but don't bother calling the Federation, I'll be long gone in a matter of seconds" he said calmly walking out.

Earl continued to watch Goroh, once the _Fire Stingray_ drove away, Earl stood up. "Well we better get going, Seppuku doesn't even know that we were staying here."

Bart gave him the Falcon farewell, and turned back into another room. Chiya followed Earl back to the vehicle, and they made their descent back into the darkness that is the Lower City. Chiya still was waiting for her F-Zero machine to be fully constructed, however still lacked a combat module, which was not important as of the moment.

The two entered the base again, and both parted ways, Chiya headed straight for her room, but looked over at the display cases. She walked up to them, now possibly understanding something she previously was wondering about. The medals in the display case, now with the knowledge on Seppuku she got from Jody Summer, was revealed to be Galactic Federation medals. Chiya put her hand on the glass, looking at them, they appeared to be very prestigious, perhaps Chiya had misunderstood just how valuable Seppuku truly was to the team before he was fired.

"I stand with what I said to Jody…" Seppuku said, suddenly standing behind Chiya.

"Which part of the conversation?" Chiya asked back.

"That I am glad I was fired, that team does not understand my method of work, it may be more dark, but it get's the job done faster and more efficiently."

Chiya nodded, respecting his opinion on how things should be run, "So these medals are all from the Federation?"

Seppuku nodded, "I know they all admired my work, even Jody was having a difficult time lecturing me today, but with super villains like Black Shadow on the run, we just don't have time for mercy."

Chiya crossed her arms, "But you spared one of the men who captured me that fateful night" she pointed out.

Seppuku sighed, and looked up, "Not every criminal, deserves to die, some can be saved still, men like Black Shadow, Blood Falcon, Michael Chain, they all strive for the same goal, to terrorize, they cannot be fixed, so they must be removed from existence."

Chiya turned around, pointing at the Blood Falcon helmet, "Where did you get that?" she asked.

Seppuku put his hand on the glass, looking at the purple helmet. He was remaining silent, just staring at the helmet, before finally walking away, "Honestly, I don't know…"

To be Continued!


	10. Lap 10

==LAP 10=

A few days went by with little gang war conflict, the day for the next race was here, which was to take place in Casino Palace. Earl still had not even begun installing Chiya's parts, as priority was given to the _Red Dove_ to ensure that it was ready for maximum performance. Earl and Chiya was once again hanging out in the garage, a now usual beginning to the day, she had been helping Earl for the past two days on getting the _Red Dove_ ready. Seppuku had entered an unusual state ever since his meeting with Jody again, he was beginning to return to normal but still isolated himself in his office more often.

Chiya wiped her forehead with a rag, and stepped back looking at the body of the _Red Dove_. "I think that's the best we can do for it's dents."

Earl stepped over and looked, they had gotten the dents from previous action mostly out, making it simply look bumpy. The F-Zero machine had mostly taken damage from attacks during the race, and back when Chiya was outrunning Michael Chain and his goons, the day she discovered who Seppuku was.

"What's left to work on even?" she asked exhausted.

Earl grinned, "Nothing, but if I stop working, Seppuku will merely lecture me, no matter how well it looks."

Suddenly Seppuku charged in kicking the door open, leaving Chiya trembling with widened eyes. Seppuku then proceeded to walk over to the two, observing the vehicle. Earl was watching him, ready for his overall review, which he was not easy on.

Seppuku shook his head positively, "You did good."

Earl was surprised at the compliment he gave him, "Uh…yeah thanks!"

Seppuku sat up on the F-Zero machine looking at the two, "Alright, racing should be much easier now that I have two people."

Chiya puckered her lips upon hearing this, "Wait, I get to come?"

Seppuku nodded, "That's obvious, I need a crew to keep watch for my opponents."

"-and who are your opponents?"

Seppuku began to chuckle, "Anyone who poses a threat to me."

Chiya had a displeased look on her face. Seppuku got inside of the _Red Dove _and turned on the engine, Seppuku turned and pointed at Chiya, "Don't be late."

He darted out of the garage on the way to the race track. Chiya took off her stock cap and rubbed her head. After putting it back on she walked over to the vehicle and stood by it.

"Should I bring my gun?" she asked.

"You should leave it in the car, they'll just confiscate it anyways."

Chiya nodded and threw her handgun in the back, she sat inside of the vehicle silently. Earl looked at the time and shrugged, walking towards the vehicle.

The two were driving to the race track, known as Casino Palace, the theme of the track was that of a casino. The race track like most others, was part of the upper city, but even farther away than the last one. Chiya had remained silent for much of the trip, keeping her head down.

Earl glanced over at Chiya, concerned for her, "Something up? You've been much more quiet today."

Chiya looked up and smiled at him, "No, I'm fine, It's just… Seppuku has been a real mood killer lately."

Earl nodded in agreement, "Sometimes I think he's in love with Jody Summer."

Chiya raised a brow, "I didn't think he would be capable of love to be honest…"

"But I don't know, he use to talk about her a few times, about when he was in the Federation, but most of his stories were about things he disliked about her."

Chiya looked back in front of her, and laid her head back into the seat. Despite her current mood, Chiya was truly excited, she was going to her second F-Zero race, and even closer to the action this time. Seppuku wanted her present to help him race however, but it may have also meant that he just wants her to see how to handle F-Zero machines closely, since she would eventually be one, with enough work.

"He'll get over it though, I promise you that much" he concluded.

About half an hour later, they arrived at a huge domed building, the windows were all dark green, and several vehicles were parked in front of the building. Chiya and Earl had walked through the entrance, and was suddenly surrounded with concession stands. There were several centered on specific racers, such as: Captain Falcon, Samurai Goroh, Pico, Dr. Stewart, and even Blood Falcon, there did not appear to be a Seppuku stand however. Chiya and Earl was walking through the immense crowd of people, trying to make their way to the track. Off the corner of Chiya's eyes, was a Captain Falcon stock hat, which was blue with a golden eagle on top. Chiya smiled and began walking towards the stand with money in her hand, Earl quickly grabbed her hand stopping her.

"Seppuku would kill you if you wore that…" Earl stated.

Chiya and Earl made it to their section, it was a private booth saved only for those invited by that racer, the booth had much better chairs, was separated from the fans, and had an indoor room with a TV displaying the race. Chiya was leaping around the place in amazement, going on about how amazing every single thing was. Earl was chuckling at her fun, finding her amusing.

Chiya ran up to Earl, "Look at this! This whole room has a cooling unit incase it gets hot!" she yelled in amazement.

The time had come, all the racers were to drive up to the startling line for introductions.

"The F-Zero committee would like to now thank all for coming to the second race of the annual grand prix, at this time we will introduce the racers, depending on what place they ranked in the previous race" the announcer spoke.

Chiya darted up to the front quickly, her mouth still open with excitement.

"Taking first last race, the bounty hunter and living legend of F-Zero, Captain Falcon!"

The Blue Falcon came racing up to the front, stopping in front of the starting line. Thousands of people cheered as he waved to the crowd, clearly he had quite the fan base.

"The man born in a lab, set out to kill his clone brother, Blood Falcon!"

The Blood Hawk flew up quickly next to the Blue Falcon and he leaped out on top of his F-Zero machine, head banging with his tongue out. Most people were booing at him, except another large amount of people clapping.

"Top ranking officer of the Galactic Federation, and stunning to say the least, Jody Summer!"

The White Cat came up to the Blood Hawk, Captain Falcon and Jody Summer nodded at each other appreciatively. She opened her cockpit and saluted to the crowd.

"The man of mystery, laying low, and keeping his enemies close, Lieutenant Seppuku!"

The Red Dove drove up to the White Cat, Seppuku did not even acknowledge the crowd. Not much reception was given by the fans, except a loud bunch of people booing in Michael Chain's booth across from Earl and Chiya.

"It's Michael Chain's goons!" Chiya yelled pointing.

Earl groaned looking down at the Red Dove, "What a horrible mix-up…"

Chiya looked at him confused, "What's wrong?"

Earl flailed his arm towards the four present racers on the track, "Both Falcons, Jody Summer, and Seppuku, let's prey that they don't get in a pre-game conversation…"

The announcer continued listing the racers, the next one being Octoman. Suddenly Seppuku got out of his F-Zero machine, Captain Falcon getting out as well. After Jody and Blood Falcon saw Captain Falcon get out they got out as well.

The four walked up to each other, standing in separate corners.

Earl slapped his face, "Damnit Seppuku… here we go…" he complained exhaling.

Captain Falcon grinned and saluted Seppuku, "May the best man win."

Seppuku was about to respond, but Jody Summer approached them, "Save your breath Captain, getting a compliment from him is as rare as seei-"

Blood Falcon charged up to them, "Falcon! I look forward to splattering your blood on the Blood Hawk!"

Captain Falcon gave him a grim look, "I'll let you kill me, but you have to catch me first" he said now grinning.

"You two are what makes F-Zero what it is, random rivalry leading to death…" Seppuku said chuckling.

"You have more rivals than anyone here Seppuku" Jody countered.

Seppuku looked over at her angrily, when suddenly loud footsteps could be heard approaching.

Earl looked at Chiya, "Oh boy, here comes more trouble…"

Michael Chain pushed Jody aside and grabbed Seppuku by the neck, "Seppuku! I wanted to thank you for taking out Red Star! It saved me a lot of time, it's a shame that you aren't dead!" he yelled into his face.

Seppuku was remaining calm while in his grasp, "You need to work out more, I could easily break out of this if I wanted to."

Chain started to shake in anger and threw him aside, Captain Falcon grabbed Chain's arm, "Calm down!" he yelled.

Seppuku stood back up, brushing his coat, "I didn't need your pity help Falcon…" Seppuku said walking back to the Red Dove.

A while later, all racers were present at the starting line. "At this time all racers may start their engines!" the announcer shouted.

All of the F-Zero machines began to light up, Seppuku looked to his side at Jody Summer, who's vehicle was right next to his. He nodded and tilted his hat at her, looking back in front of him.

Three. Two. One. Go. All the racers immediately went at each other on the track, and the fans exploded with cheering and chattering. Chiya was bouncing up excitedly, but then noticed something.

"How are we suppose to talk to Seppuku from here?"

Earl shrugged, "He made that up, don't know why he said that."

Chiya had a confused look on her face, she then turned back watching the race with the same expression.

The Blue Falcon, once again was leading the pack of racers, but both Blood Falcon and Seppuku were chasing him. The Crazy Bear was gaining on Seppuku, Seppuku did not appear to have any intentions of ramming into him though. Dr. Clash was the driver of the Crazy Bear, an obese man with gray hair, and a yellow skinsuit, with mechanical limbs, he was the top engineer of the Galactic Federation. The Blood Hawk ran up to the Blue Falcon's side and tried dashing into it, but Captain Falcon dodged the attack immediately by slowing down. Blood Falcon was now in first, and Seppuku passed Captain Falcon putting himself in second.

"Why didn't Seppuku hit Captain Falcon if he hates him so much?" Chiya asked.

Earl grinned, "Seppuku isn't that much of a fool, if he took out Captain Falcon, how much respect would he lose from F-Zero fans, there are thousands, maybe millions of Falcon fans, they would all hate Seppuku if he took him out."

"Blood Falcon sure doesn't seem to think that way."

"Well no one like's Blood Falcon anyways."

The Blue Falcon had passed the Crazy Bear and was behind Seppuku, Seppuku had quickly hit the brakes right when the Blue Falcon got behind him, bringing Falcon to an immediate stop. The fans all began yelling wildly when he did this, both Seppuku and Captain Falcon were sent back a couple places now, racers such as Samurai Goroh and Michael Chain to pass. Blood Falcon was still having no issue keeping up in first place, but Jody Summer was trying to stop him.

Michael Chain slowed down to combat with Seppuku, but Seppuku immediately got lucky and hit him. The Wild Boar had a huge smash on the side of it, Seppuku had done severe damage to Michael Chain's vehicle, which sent a clear message to him as he slowed down quickly. Most of the racers completed lap one, and their boosters were now unlocked. Seppuku immediately dashed back up, but was still far in the back, Captain Falcon was battling Zoda, one of Black Shadow's associates. Seppuku growled looking at the Wild Boar, he had chosen to use the majority of his boost energy, gaining ground on Chain, clearly provoked.

"What is he doing?" asked Chiya afraid of Seppuku's usage of energy.

Earl grinned, "Finishing unfinished business…"

Michael Chain was starting to sweat, trying to make it to a restoration pad without being finished off. Seppuku had little energy left, he would need to be careful, but he clearly wanted revenge. Captain Falcon suddenly flew right up to the Red Dove, bumping into him from behind for some reason. Suddenly it was clear what he was doing, he was pushing Seppuku forward so he could catch Chain.

"He might actually nail him…" Earl muttered.

Chiya looked at him with widened eyes, then looked back at the screen quickly.

Seppuku had come neck and neck with the Wild Boar, but Seppuku pinned him close enough to the wall to prevent an attack, Chain's only option was to come to a complete stop. But it was too late, Seppuku rammed him right against the wall, leaving a trail of sparks going across the wall for nearly a mile. Seppuku let go of him just on time and hit a restoration pad, immediately boosting back up to the front again. Chain was pounding on his machine to start back up, but it was too late, his goose was cooked.

Everyone began cheering as Chain was knocked out of the race, likely ending his chances of winning the Grand Prix. Chiya and Earl hugged each other cheering with the rest, she looked over and pointed at the goons.

"Look!" she yelled.

They were all angrily lifting dumbells.

Captain Falcon drove to the side of Seppuku, and saluted him, but Seppuku disregarded this. The Blood Falcon rammed into Jody sending her into a circle, Blood Falcon began to laugh manically. Seppuku flew up to Blood Falcon somehow and bashed into him, Seppuku was on some killing spree today. Everyone cheered again for Seppuku, unfortunately it did not do much to Blood Falcon but slow him down, he was in third place now.

"Seppuku is getting quite some attention for once, this might help his fan base at least…" Earl noted.

It was the final lap already, Blood Falcon was trying to catch up to Seppuku, clearly wanting a challenge. Seppuku and Blood Falcon was engaging each other, trying to kill each other, but both had strikingly similar styles of fighting. Jody Summer drove up to the other side of Blood Falcon suddenly, both Seppuku and Jody had him cornered, he would be destroyed if he did not slow down. Blood Falcon came to a quick stop, and began cussing aloud. Jody Summer and Seppuku finally were neck and neck, Samurai Goroh gaining on them both. Jody and Seppuku were looking at each other from each other's cockpits, both looked like bitter rivals.

With Jody distracted however, Goroh snuck up from the left of her, and bashed into her, sending her flying. Her vehicle was sparking, and began to smoke as she was propelled far ahead of them. Seppuku could see the vehicle to begin on fire, neck and neck with Goroh. Seppuku looked downward, and then did something incredible, he came to a stop near the White Cat, and opened his cockpit.

"Seppuku is out of his mind!" Earl yelled.

Chiya was amazed at his bravery, to save someone he had no care for at all.

Seppuku ripped open the White Cat and grabbed Jody, carrying her back to the Red Dove. By the time they got in, he was already in last place, he quickly boosted back up to the rest of the F-Zero machines, but had already cast his fate.

The Blood Hawk had also failed to catch back up, but was still ranked six, Captain Falcon was rank eight. Seppuku drove past a few F-Zero machines, up to rank twenty, but it was too late, Samurai Goroh finished in first place, followed by Pico, Dr. Clash, and Mrs. Arrow.

Chiya was smiling, with eyes watering at the sight of what Seppuku had just done, it was truly a heroic act.

The Red Dove eventually exited the track, now with an overall rank of 12th place in the Grand Prix. The race was over, and people began to get up, discussing the race with each other. Chiya looked at Earl after wiping her eyes, he was grinning as well, still looking down at the track.

Later on the two still remained in the booth talking with each other, when Seppuku came from behind. "Awful race, but at least Michael Chain has been dealed with at last…"

Chiya wrapped around Seppuku with her lips tucked in her mouth, "That's not true! Everyone saw what you did…"

Seppuku growled at her, "Shut up child…get back to base now, we have serious matters to discuss!" he yelled pointing at the exit.

Earl and Chiya nodded and began to walk away, Seppuku watched them leave, with his fists clenched. He turned around to face the track, looking at the flames of the White Cat being put out, and the Wild Boar being pulled back, with Michael Chain flailing his arms around his goons. Suddenly someone approached him, naturally, it was Jody Summer.

She stood still looking at him, he turned towards her saying nothing. She had no special expression at the time, but was just staring at him. Seppuku finally, tipped his hat at her greetingly.

"Thank you" she merely said.

Seppuku got an angry expression, "Whatever! I still need you around is all… you are, protecting us somewhat…" he said pushing her aside.

She watched him walking away, and got a grin, "He is the worlds oldest child…" she said to herself jokingly.

Much later back at the base, Seppuku sat in his office alone, looking at news reports on the race, most of them were about his rescuing of Jody, and how he risked his life getting out of his vehicle, when nearly thirty other vehicles were still incoming. Seppuku looked up, and Chiya was standing there.

"What?" he asked in a dark tone.

"You're a hero Seppuku…" Chiya said smiling.

Seppuku exhaled, and looked up, slamming his arm on the computer, "I'm no hero! Never call me that!"

Chiya gained a confused look on her face, "How can you think that?"

Seppuku exhaled looking back down, "All I did was save someone who did not deserve death, no more, no less."

Chiya rolled her eyes and departed from his room, Seppuku was gazing at the same headline for the article, 'Seppuku's Heroic Act'. For whatever the reason, Seppuku had not wanted publicity, but if that were the case, why did he even join the Grand Prix?

To be Continued!


	11. Lap 11

==LAP 11=

Chiya was walked out of her room and went towards the garage, it had been awhile now since she brought back the F-Zero components, it was possible that her vehicle was now capable for usage. She opened the garage door, and looked around for Earl, the room was darker than usual and he was nowhere to be seen. Chiya glanced over at the boxes the F-Zero parts were in, both parts were still untouched.

"He isn't here" Seppuku said suddenly appearing behind her.

Chiya spun around with a shocked expression, "You have a bad habit of creeping up on people."

Seppuku turned around departing from the garage, "He said he was being overworked, so he wanted to go out for a drink at some café in the Upper City."

Seppuku had simply left the garage, leaving Chiya alone in the dark room. She looked around the garage looking for something to work on, but nothing seemed to be in the area that she had knowledge on.

"I guess that means I'm free as well…" she said aloud to herself.

She was tapping her lips with two of her fingers, _But what is there to do down here? _she wondered. Though it was a larger trip, it seemed that going to the Upper City was a possibility, she still had most of the money that was looted from Red Star. She was suddenly being consumed with ideas of what to spend it on, clothing, food, supplies, maybe even a gift for her friends.

She quickly departed the garage, running past Seppuku who was still walking back to his office, a curious Seppuku stomped his foot very loudly immediately sending Chiya to a halt.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" he asked.

Chiya looked away while facing him, "Well…I was thinking I would go up city and do some stuff…"

Seppuku rubbed his chin thinking about her plans, "I guess that's fine…but if you get in trouble, again, I won't be there to save you, and God knows Earl won't."

_What is he implying about Earl?_ an offended Chiya thought. Seppuku continued walking without needing a response from her. Chiya continued walking, but noticed Seppuku was slowing down again, he then sighed.

"Here."

He threw the _Red Dove_'s key at her, Chiya was looking at him a little confused, not finding anything to say or ask him.

"It would take you forever to get up there, and you could use some more practice driving one of these anyways, but bang her up and I'll burn your room down!" Seppuku warned.

Chiya's eyes widened, but she took up the offer, "Yes sir."

Chiya had gotten inside of the _Red Dove_ and left the garage, she had not yet experienced an F-Zero machine at it's fullest speed, and definitely not while it is boosting, but she was quickly learning how to use one for everyday use. She looked to the sides of the streets, poor people cowering in fear of her, they must be so traumatized by the gangs always going down the streets, but for the moment the gang war was not going well for either side.

Chiya continued to drive without any problems, she reached the large upward road, leading to the Upper City. Every time she entered the Upper City, it felt like she was escaping from something, perhaps a life of darkness, the Upper City was so much more maintained, futuristic, and had more protection by the law. She glanced over at the Café that was to the right of her, sure enough she could see Earl's vehicle there. Chiya felt like parking there, but suddenly resisted the urge, _I should let him do his own things today_ she thought to herself. She continued driving aimlessly around Mute City, looking for places she could shop at. The one thing that was always in sight was the Galactic Federation tower, it was so tall you could never miss it in the Upper City. Eventually she had spotted a mall a bit away from the café and decided to go shopping there.

She parked the _Red Dove_ and exited the cockpit, many other normal vehicles were parked in the area. She walked into the mall, and was immediately amazed at the variety of things being thrown in her sight. Her family was not in as much of a situation as her, but still never got a chance to shop for things with such freedom. _Let's just shop for things Earl and Seppuku might like_ she thought wanting to repay them for all they gave her.

In a weapon section of the mall, there were weapon holsters for sale, she veered over and looked at them. There was a leather holster with a flower sewn onto it, Chiya half-shut her eyes and looked aside, "Seppuku might want this…" she said picking it off the rack.

In another area, she found a black and pink bag for holding general purpose items in, "I bet Earl might like this…"

She glanced over at a pair of women's black leather boots, "This might fit on Seppuku…"

After a very long period of buying girly _gifts_, she had checked out and brought the load back to the _Red Dove_. Looking around for an area to put her things in, she soon realized something.

"There's nowhere to put this stuff!" she yelled frustrated.

She pushed everything under the seat of the _Red Dove_, it was clear that the machine was not designed to deliver things, rather it was just for racing. She sat back down, hanging a vehicle ornament above the _Red Dove_'s dashboard, it was of a happy pink bunny.

Chiya held her hands together looking at it, "Perfect!"

Chiya later was driving around town some more, now drinking a beverage with one hand while driving. She had now blown through a large amount of money, and had definitely exceeded what little storage capacity the _Red Dove_ had in the cockpit. She drove by the café now, which appeared to still be open, but Earl's vehicle was no longer present. Chiya quickly drove into the café's parking lot, definitely going faster than the average vehicle. She left the _Red Dove_ and entered the café, wanting to talk more about the F-Zero race she had just seen. She sat down in the same seat as last time, the entire café was empty.

"Hello Chiya" Bart greeted walking in around the counter.

"Hey, I'm just hanging around in the Upper City today."

Bart nodded, now cleaning a glass, "Did you get to see the race in person again?"

Chiya nodded, "It was interesting, except both Seppuku and Captain Falcon were somewhat far from first place."

Bart shrugged, "Sometimes racers are a little too overwhelmed, Falcon was trapped behind several other racers, Seppuku had that race within his grasp, but chose honor over victory."

Chiya held her hand over her mouth, wondering about Seppuku's decision to go back for Jody Summer. "Why do you think he did that?"

Bart set the glass down and grabbed another one, "Seppuku is a man of mystery, what he seems to forget is that the true man is the one who is not afraid to accept defeat."

Chiya was trying to understand what he was saying, but it was hard to form an opinion on Seppuku when he would barely talk about his intentions. "I don't know, that seemed like a heroic act, but he seems so dark, I wish I knew more about him…"

Bart stared at her, before shutting his eyes, "The truth is, no one knows a thing about Seppuku, he has no birth certificate, his age is unknown, and the whereabouts of his parents are void from the records."

Chiya looked up, trying to put the puzzle pieces together, but all this led to was his signature title, a man of mystery. Chiya looked back at Bart, "How do you know this?"

Bart hesitated to answer, then turned around, "I know most things relevant to F-Zero, it is part of my job to have this information for when customers come."

Chiya stood up, "I have some more questions for Seppuku to ask, thanks for the info."

Chiya immediately departed from the building back to the _Red Dove_, she had intended to stay longer, but was suddenly curious to keep bugging Seppuku about his identity. Bart continued to look at her as she got in the vehicle and departed, he raised an eyebrow at the sight of her driving an F-Zero machine.

She began her descension into the Lower City again, _All I need to do, is figure out who that is behind the mask, who is Seppuku?_ she wondered. She drove by the bar that was destroyed, as always the streets were completely clear of any movement. She looked at the pink bunny she hung up in the _Red Dove_, when suddenly in the corner of her eye, she could see someone on top of a building. It was a Bloody Chan gang member, he was clearly looking right at the _Red Dove_. Chiya now felt unsafe, she needed to get out of the area quickly before something bad happened. A frightened Chiya was disturbed to notice, that another goon was standing above a building, it was starting to become clear that they were up to something.

A gang member was watching the _Red Dove_ come near an intersection, "Boss, Seppuku is just about to stop at the intersection…" he yelled into a device.

"Good, detonate the explosives as soon as he stops!" Michael Chain responded.

Chiya was nearing the intersection, where she would need to stop, but was very concerned about the gang members watching her in several areas, she now saw a third one on the building in front of her, this one with an assault rifle in his hands. Chiya gasped, looking behind her, another one of them lifted an assault rifle as well, and before she knew it several members were above buildings watching her closely with rifles. She came to the intersection, but was so distracted and scared she forgot to stop, simply running through it. It was then that a loud explosion could be heard from behind her, smoke quickly chasing the _Red Dove_. Chiya had a very shocked expression, with her eyes widened. She looked behind her, seeing that she had just skipped through the intersection, but this saved her life as it appeared to have been planted with bombs. It was at that moment that the gang members began firing at the _Red Dove_, bullets hitting the vehicle, but doing little damage to it.

"Oh God!" she panicked.

It was then that her biggest issue was yet to be dealt with, in front of her came a grey F-Zero machine with an identical appearance to Michael Chain's _Wild Boar_, which was beat up in the last race, inside of the vehicle however, was in fact Michael Chain.

"Seppuku dodged the bombs, but I'll finish him off…" Chain growled into the device.

Chiya widened her eyes in shock, she was being ambushed by Michael Chain. She quickly spun around, and began driving back towards the explosion, Chain smiled and pursued Chiya, believing her to really be Seppuku. Chiya flew past the smoke left in the intersection, Chain's goons were beginning to lose sight of her as she continued to drive at a top speed. She could feel the rush, as she was driving at a much quicker speed, but she would need to go at maximum power if she was to lose the Bloody Chain. Michael Chain quickly came up behind Chiya, trying to ram the back of her. Chiya may have had the basic ropes of piloting down, but would it be wise to use the boosters on the streets?

Chiya quickly dashed around the corner of a building, Chain following her perfectly. He was now trying to get to the side of her, likely to ram the _Red Dove_, just as he began moving up, two more similar vehicles came to Michael's aid. Chiya decided that it would be suicidal, but she was going to need to use her boosters to escape, and without further hesitation she boosted far ahead of the three vehicles. Michael Chain grinded his teeth at the site of the _Red Dove_ escaping him. The issue at hand, was that if she went back to the base, Chain would know where they operated, and would have the base ransacked immediately, this was a problem she _had _to tackle all by her own.

By now the vehicles were catching up to her again, Chain's temporary machine did not appear to have boosters, giving her an advantage, but she could not risk using her boosters outside of a race very much since there were no restoration pads on the streets. Chain had begun to corner the _Red Dove_ and prepared to attack again, Chiya tried drifting to the right more, but found one of his goons covering her right flank. She panicked and hit the brakes immediately, sending the vehicle to a rough stop, sliding down the road still. The _Red Dove _now stood still in the middle of the road, Michael and his two other goons encircling her, she was trapped. Chiya had no other options left, she would need to exit the vehicle and fight in person. She opened the cockpit, and at the sight of this, Chain and his allies exited as well.

Chain was grinning walking over to the _Red Dove_, "Looks like I finally won Seppuku!" Chain gloated victoriously.

The two men walked over to the vehicle, Chain approaching it slowly holding his fists, "Boys! This time smash his face in, beat him until he is dead for sure!" he demanded.

It was then that Chiya revealed herself inside of the cockpit, climbing out cautiously. Chain gripped his teeth together angrily in confusion, "Hey what's this!?" he yelled.

The three were looking at Chiya shocked, not expecting a girl to come out, but rather for Lieutenant Seppuku. Chain held his arms together thinking of what to do with her, "Well, looks like Seppuku's new pet!" Chain yelled.

Chiya waved at him smiling, "Yeah…he's not here right now, I can bring him back another time though!" she offered as a poor excuse to get out of the area.

Michael Chain and the other two began to laugh at her desperate plan of escaping, "That won't be happeing…wait I remember you!" he yelled pointing at her.

Chiya's eyes widened at the sight of him pointing at her, "You were the one at the bar that one day Seppuku was meant to die! You must have been the one to save him then…" he said angrily.

"Yeah, I guess I did…" she admitted.

Chain was rubbing his chin thinking, then smiled, "I have an idea…we're going to capture you and tie you up back at base…then we will use you as bait to lure Seppuku!" Chain let out.

The other two men cheered on his idea, Chiya sighed, hearing that she was to be captured, once again. It was then that she realized, she couldn't go on doing this much longer, if she had any hopes of gaining Seppuku's respect, she would need to get the job done herself. She looked up angrily at Chain, staring him right in the eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere you monster…" she said narrowing her eyes.

Chain looked at her seriously, then let out a laugh, "What? You plan on resisting? Is this a joke little girl?"

Chiya held up her handgun, pointing it at the two gang members, "I'm sick of being pushed around, I want to do the pushing for once… no, not _want_, I _am _going to do the pushing!" she yelled.

Chain let out a large laugh, "You silly, weak, foolish, girl… you think you have the upper hand on us because you have the gun? We have muscles and advanced medicine guarding us…your little bullets can't harm us…"

Chiya for once was not trembling, she was holding the handgun firmly at his two goons. "That may be what you think…but are you willing to take that chance?" she asked.

Chain stopped smiling, realizing she had some trick up her sleeve, he studied the angered girls facial expression, searching for a hint of fear or doubt in her eyes. Chain returned to his smiling figure, "I'll call out your bluff little girl…"

The last time Chiya shot at Chain, the bullets barely did anything to him but make him bleed, they clearly did have some special protection along with their abnormal muscles. Chiya shut her eyes, as the two approached her, she then let out a scream firing at the two, Chain shook his head laughing, but suddenly noticed that his goons stopped moving towards her. His smile broke, as he saw an awful image, the two fell down dead instantly.

"What!?" he shouted astonished.

Chiya took out the handguns magazine, revealing large bores. "The mall had a discount on armor-piercing bullets…"

Chain backed up towards his vehicle, understanding the threat she imposed on him, a trembling Chain looked around for his men on the buildings with rifles, but saw none in the immediate area. Chiya was now closing in on him, having him within the sights of her gun. Chiya was not showing any emotion except for anger, she had reached some kind of limit, finally being provoked enough to resort to violent resolutions.

"You can't…if you kill me my entire fan base will hate Seppuku! Do you really want that young woman?" he demanded.

Chiya did have to think about it, but this was clearly a desperate attempt for life, she had now realized that she won. She put away her handgun and bowed to him, "I'll expect you to leave the people of Mute City alone now…" she demanded.

Chain stopped trembling feeling offended by her, "You may have won this battle…but I can still smash Seppuku to bits in the Grand Prix!" he yelled.

Chiya turned back around, "No you can't."

She then fired two bullets at both of his legs, sending him onto his knees.

"What the Hell…" he muttered spitting out blood.

Chiya grinned walking up to him, "By the way…"

She grabbed his chin and lifted it upward, "You got your ass kicked by a girl."

She then roughly kicked him across the chin, knocking him down onto the ground completely. Chiya then returned to the _Red Dove_, leaving him, she had looked back, seeing that he managed to army crawl back into his vehicle, then racing away from her immediately. Chiya had finally stood her ground, establishing that she was just as threatening as anyone else, however it was not something to gloat about, as the three had been merely unarmed. Chiya now raced back to the base, not wanting further complications with the Bloody Chain.

"So I presume Chain is dead then?" Seppuku asked Chiya in response to her story.

The two were alone in his office, Chiya was standing still thinking of what to say to him.

"No, he got away, but I did manage to shoot both of his legs."

Seppuku put his fingers together, shaking disapprovingly, "You're saying you shot both his legs, yet could not kill him?"

Chiya nodded affirming this.

Seppuku sighed, "You're a fool, instead of ending the Gang War right there, you let a mass murdering criminal back on the streets, what were you thinking?" he demanded.

Chiya rubbed the back of her head, truly feeling somewhat guilty of her decision, before looking back up at him. "You said I should use my best judgment on things, and it was my best judgment that I believed he learned his lesson."

Seppuku growled at her words, "There is a such thing as bad judgment Chiya…"

Chiya began walking away, "Killing him can be your mission, my mission is to become an F-Zero racer."

Chiya left the room, and Seppuku was left staring at the door, it was very ironic, because it was now Seppuku who was beginning to doubt Chiya's true loyalty.

To be Continued!


	12. Lap 12

==LAP 12=

The base was as always, silent, Chiya and Earl was in the garage, finally working on her future F-Zero machine, the hard part was already over, which was finding the body. Now they needed to install the parts Chiya delivered several days ago, they still needed a combat module, which allows for the machine to do offensive dashes and spins. As long as they got all the other parts in, the vehicle would be operational, finding the combat module would be a later mission.

"The stupid mistake I made was keeping the plates on, if this thing were completely opened up we could just install these parts without much of a problem…" Earl complained.

Chiya was not actually doing any work, rather she was merely handing things to him when needed, she only had slight expertise in the handling of engines. "I guess, but this way we don't have to put the whole thing back together like some kind of puzzle."

Earl looked at the body, realizing what she meant, the machine was not put together by large parts, but was bolted together with what appeared to be several scraps of metal. A vehicle like the _Blue Falcon_ was put together with much larger plating, which has both benefits and drawbacks.

"I take that back, you're right."

Chiya let out a look of joyous excitement at her correct statement. The machine should have been worked on more often, but they continued to get sidetracked not allowing any time to work. Because of Chiya, the Bloody Chain now would have a difficult time regaining it's strength, the manpower of both the Bloody Chain and Red Star was in the thousands, meaning the Gang War was not over, but for the time, the Lower City was not as dangerous. The best option at the moment was to get the Grand Prix out of the way, and Chiya's F-Zero machine built, once this was accomplished they could finish off the Gang War as a team. An exciting thought that always crossed Chiya's mind was how her life would change if Seppuku somehow won the Annual Grand Prix, unfortunately it did not seem to be going his way, as his overall rank was currently nowhere near the top after his actions last race.

Earl fell off of the vehicle trying to push something inside, he fell to the ground and a startled Chiya immediately ran over to him.

"God damn!" he yelled laying on the cold dirty floor.

Chiya knelt over by him, putting her hands on the shoulder he was twitching, "Did you break something?" she asked afraid.

"No, just a hard fall."

Suddenly Seppuku kicked open the door with great force, "You two, we ne-"

He looked at the two, Earl still laying on the floor with Chiya holding his shoulder. Seppuku raised an eyebrow wondering what was going on here, then shook his head, "I don't want to know…" he muttered.

Chiya and Earl leaped up looking at him, "Is Michael Chain back?" she asked.

Seppuku looked up at the two, "I booked us a ride on a transport set for the planet _Sand Ocean_."

"Sand Ocean? Is that an area on the planet?" Chiya asked.

Seppuku shook his head negatively, "No, the planet is called Sand Ocean… the next race will be there, and we must always get to away races early."

Chiya noticed that he wanted both her and Earl to come for some reason, not that she objected to this, but it was a very sudden plan that she did not see coming.

Seppuku growled, "I hate Sand Ocean, the place is too hot and is always bright…"

Chiya puckered her lips excitedly, "Maybe we can tan while we're there!"

Seppuku began to laugh, "Did you not hear me? I hate both the heat and light!"

The idea of making the trip a fun time was quickly shot to pieces by Seppuku leaving a sad feeling in Chiya. _This isn't the kind of guy girls find attractive… _Chiya stated in her mind.

"When do we leave?" Earl finally asked.

"Probably after lunch… by the way, Earl go make me something delicious…" Seppuku ordered.

Earl got an angered facial expression, "Dammit I'm not a cook! I'm not even a doctor, stop making me do these random tasks" he demanded.

Seppuku grinned, "Make me lunch or I'll fire you…"

Chiya quickly swished her head towards Earl, who chuckled his threat off, "Oh please… you would need to find another fool stupid enough to do what I do, and I'm sure I can land any job having to do with engineering…"

Seppuku began stomping out of the garage, "Fine…whatever, you probably would poison it anyways" Seppuku said heading to the kitchen.

Earl turned back around to Chiya's vehicle, "Alright let's finish getting this booster in…"

Later that day, Seppuku parted ways with Earl and Chiya, driving off with the _Red Dove _to the transport ship, once again leaving the two to take a longer trip to the destination via normal vehicular transport. Chiya was still looking at her vehicle, concerned at the fact that they are leaving behind the base unprotected, especially with an evermore enraged Bloody Chain lurking around Mute City. The race following this one would take place in Mute City again however, so they would not be absent from the base for too long.

Earl had left to pack things he felt was needed for the trip, mostly grabbing machine tools and other engineering equipment. Chiya had simply grabbed her box of ammunition, her room was still very bland looking but now had more of an appearance to it ever since she went shopping. The planet they were going to was going to be hot and dry, with little civilization. Chiya left the room and began walking towards the garage again, ready to go.

Earl was leaning against the vehicle yawning when she had just entered the room. Earl opened his eyes looking at her, "Alright, ready for Hell?" he asked, implying that the planet they were heading to was not enjoyable.

"Yep, what kind of ship will we be departing on?" Chiya asked.

"He didn't say, but he likes riding high class cruisers, so I imagine he spent a lot on this ride."

The two drove out of the base, departing for the last time that week, Chiya would naturally want to return to the base as soon as possible, however saying good-bye to the Lower City compensated for the setback of her F-Zero machine being finished. They drove away from the base farther up the Lower City, as always the section of the city was as quiet as Captain Falcon.

Little did the two know, someone stood up on a roof watching them leave, the area, it was Brock Blaskovitz.

Brock grinned now seeing Seppuku's entire team leave the Lower City, "With them gone, I have time to rebuild and fight the crippled Bloody Chain…"

One of Brock's men stepped up alongside him watching the vehicle now leave their sight. "Why didn't we just blow them up?"

Brock glanced over at him and laughed, "Don't be stupid, it's becoming clear that Seppuku picked up a good asset, that little girl sent all of our best bikes into a ball of fire, I don't think that any of those three are worth picking a fight with while unprepared…"

"Ya' think we shoulda' just killed them when we had them captured?" he asked.

Brock swatted his hand on the Hammer and Sickle he had on his red shirt, "I truly believed that they would join us, in time I would have even let them go free as official Red Star members, but for some reason they resisted, such courage to fight a foe as large as us deserves recognition…"

Brock turned around, throwing his assault rifle into his hands with force, "Comrades, let us go intimidate the people of the streets, remind them who owns Mute City!" he yelled.

"Oorah!" the group shouted into the air firing their guns aimlessly.

Chiya and Earl drove past Bart's Café, Chiya looked over at it, the place appeared completely dark. "Where's Bart?" Chiya asked.

"He needs to get to Sand Ocean as well."

Chiya put her finger on her lip looking back, "So he just closes the place during a race? Where's the profit in that?"

"He has other careers, the café is more of a place for discussion rather than money."

_Bart must be one successful person to keep that place up_ Chiya thought to herself. The two drove down a long bridge crossing over to the other part of Mute City, this area also had a Lower City, but it was not as destroyed by criminals. The bridge was a few miles long, and have plenty traffic trying to pass around each other. Rumors traveled around Mute City that Michael Chain and his goons originally traveled down this bridge consistently back when their numbers were around ten-thousand, now they were knocked down to nearly a thousand. The end of both Red Star and the Bloody Chain was coming, but both gangs had only become inspired to fight more aggressively as a result of their tightening situation.

Chiya had only been down this area one time, it was when she arrived on Earth for university, which she was denied entrance to. On the other side of the city was a space dock that contained shuttles and intergalactic transports, it was what had eventually replaced airports many years ago. The two drove to this area and were looking around at all of the small and large ships, all of which had the loading ramps opened for bringing vehicles along. Earl parked the vehicle and got out, locking it.

"We're not taking this with us?" Chiya asked.

"There really is no need to bring it, we're going to a barren wasteland of sand, the race tracks are all that is of importance there."

The two remained still while Earl was looking around, "We're looking for Shuttle Eighty-Seven…"

All of the ships were black, and had a white square on the sides with large black bold numbers labeling them, there were only about twenty landed in Mute City at the moment. Earl suddenly pointed towards on, which had the number Eighty-Seven on it.

"I'm assuming that Seppuku already got the Red Dove inside" said Earl.

Chiya nodded, then followed him as they walked towards the very large vessel.

The two had later on entered the ship, not finding Seppuku yet however, but after checking the _Red Dove_ was inside of the cargo bay, along with some other F-Zero machines like the _Golden Fox_ and _Red Gazelle_. The ship seemed to be for the wealthy, making Earl and Chiya seem like unfitting additions to the puzzle. The main part of the ship was a large lounging area, like one you would find in a fancy restaurant, and had windows surrounding the room to see outside of the ship. Chiya and Earl stood around the dining area, the ship hadn't even taken off and people were already eating together with waiters bringing food to tables.

"Can we really afford this?" Chiya asked in disbelief.

Earl rubbed his chin, "I don't think Seppuku would want us using his money on a dinner for us…"

Chiya growled looking down at the floor blushing, "That's not what I was referring to…"

Suddenly Seppuku kicked the door open and began walking in, everyone was startled and looking at him as if he was insane. He walked over to Chiya and Earl with his signature serious looking face. A waiter had approached him suddenly with a concerned facial expression.

"Sir please don't damage our property or we may have to kick you off this ship…"

Seppuku waved his hand in front of the waiter angrily, "How else did you expect me to open the door?"

"With your hands?" Chiya answered silently.

Seppuku let out a laugh, "Yeah right, what if this guy were one of Chain's boys, that way I get the first strike and could have started shooting him up."

The waiter with widened eyes, began to back away slowly wanting little more to do with Seppuku.

The three stood together in the room, now with everyone looking at Seppuku, which was also drawing unnecessary attention to Chiya and Earl. Chiya looked away feeling embarrassed at Seppuku's actions.

Later on they had all gone separate ways in the ship, as it was just about to leave Earth to Sand Ocean.

"Attention passengers, the Mute City Galactic Transportation Team would like to thank you for choosing us as your method of flying, and will now begin travel to Sand Ocean, thank you."

Chiya approached the windows, looking at the large amount of buildings on the ground, the ship began to shake and within seconds they were ascending into the sky. It was the second time Chiya ever flew and could barely remember what traveling through space was like. The buildings were soon below them as they had prepared to leave Earth's atmosphere, moments later the last visible building was the Galactic Federation's HQ. Chiya looked up, as the image of stars and utter darkness began to reveal itself, and finally looking down, the image of Earth could be seen much more clearly, most of the continents had changed at this point, Japan and Korea being some of the only unchanged looking areas on the globe. Alaska was damaged during a past war and had broken off the continent of North America, Antarctica had completely disappeared from the globe, and many new bodies of water had formed in areas as a result of constant bombardments in past wars.

"A magnificent planet, right?" asked a man standing next to Chiya.

Chiya quickly spun her head surprised, it was Dr. Stewart, pilot of the _Golden Fox_, and a famous Medical Doctor who was immediately hired by the Galactic Federation long ago. He was one of the original racers of F-Zero before it became a huge factor in everyday life.

"I don't usually travel through space" Chiya stated.

Stewart was wearing his signature Yellow and Blue racing suit, with blue boots. He nodded at her understanding, "We know you don't, how is Seppuku doing anyways?" he asked.

Chiya got a frightened look on her face, _Why are they doing background checks on me?_ she asked herself. Chiya removed her look of shock from her face looking at him, "Good, he has been keeping the Gangs suppressed for a while now."

Dr. Stewart nodded, "That's not what Jody told me, I was told that the Bloody Chain ambushed him yesterday."

Chiya felt as if she were being interrogated by the Galactic Federation, and was trying to pick out what she said wisely so she did not get in trouble. "That wasn't Seppuku…"

Dr. Stewart immediately raised an eyebrow, "It was the Red Dove combating the Bloody Chain though" he pointed out.

After hesitating to answer, she decided that she would take a shot in the dirt and see what happens if she told the truth, "I was piloting that machine at the time."

Dr. Stewart appeared to be surprised at her explanation, but suddenly nodded smiling. "That makes more sense, Seppuku would have left Chain in a body bag."

He then looked out into space, suddenly letting out a gasp at something, he looked back at her quickly. "So he's letting you drive F-Zero?"

Chiya took a step back, wondering if she was in trouble for driving an F-Zero machine without being a racer, "He thinks I should have one so I can help him control the streets…"

Dr. Stewart crossed his arms nodding, "I see, that doesn't surprise me, Seppuku appreciates anyone who sides with him, which is why we still stay in touch…"

_Seppuku has a friend?_ Chiya thought to herself surprised. "So you support what he is doing?"

He shook his head negatively, "I don't, but I condemned the Federation's decision to release him, he was a killer, and in some cases we need killers, we threw out an asset we could really use today for the hard jobs."

It was then that Seppuku entered the room, approaching the two, Seppuku stopped moving as soon as he saw Dr. Stewart, the two made eye contact and looked at each other for a few moments. Seppuku moments after that turned around and began walking elsewhere, not wanting to cross paths with Stewart.

_Doesn't look like their friends_ Chiya answered her past question in her mind.

Several minutes later, Chiya had been sitting down in a chair, having nothing to do but wait. It was then that people began to crowd around the window, beginning to panic over something. A curious Chiya naturally, decided to get up and see what the problem was. Earl had quickly ran into the room looking out one of the windows, it looked like he had a general idea of what was going on, so she approached him.

"What's out there?" she asked.

Earl had his teeth pushing together in a troubling look, it was at this point that she knew something bad was about to happen. Earl was not responding for some reason, and it was mere seconds later that Seppuku stood behind Chiya, "You two, we need to go get our guns…" he simply stated.

Earl nodded and ran with Seppuku down the hallways, Chiya began following them not much later, it had become clear that something bad was happening when suddenly the sirens began going off in the ship, and like that security was running down the halls with loaded assault rifles. Chiya was looking at them while running with her friends to the cargo bay. It was then that all of the screens and monitors in the ship began to turn on, revealing Samurai Goroh on the screen.

The three came to a halt and looked at the screen in the room, a smiling Goroh lifted up his perfectly round sunglasses. "Attention passengers, you have been intercepted by my crew, if you wish to escape with your lives, you will prepare your most valuable possessions for us to take!" he yelled.

Seppuku growled shaking his fist, they continued to run down the ship as Goroh continued talking, his voice playing through he loudspeakers as well.

"The best option is to comply, any attacks to our vessel will result in your immediate termination!"

Seppuku ran over to the _Red Dove_ and grabbed the rifle he snuck on board, he also threw Chiya the handgun she hid, and Earl a spare weapon he always keeps in the vehicle.

Seppuku looked at the two, "This will not be easy, Goroh has his ships guns trained on this ship, but he follows a Code of Honor, and will retreat if he is defeated, we cannot kill him however, or his second in command will simply destroy this ship" Seppuku explained.

Chiya was trembling at this, everything was happening all so sudden, moments ago they were all just enjoying a simple ride through space, now they were being attacked by pirates. Seppuku nodded at the two, knowing that they both understood the risks at hand and what needed to be done to make it through this alive. The three walked down the hallways again, now with weapons in their hands.

They met up with several officers with rifles waiting at the bridge that was now connected with Goroh's ship, the pirates would need to come through the bridge in order to enter the ship.

The captain in charge of the officers pointed at the three, "Hey what the Hell! They can't have guns onboard!"

The officers prepared to apprehend the three, when suddenly Dr. Stewart rounded a corner slowly, "Leave them, they are under Galactic Federation protection…"

The officers all looked at Stewart, he was of the top authority, and legally they would have to listen to him. They all turned around again, preparing for a pirate assault at any time, they were definitely going to be outgunned by Goroh, but with enough work, could get out of the situation alive.

Seppuku nodded at Dr. Stewart in appreciation, Chiya looked at Seppuku jaw dropped, _He just thanked someone!_ It was then that Seppuku aimed his rifle towards the bridge, the sound of several footsteps and yelling could be heard from the bridge, the pirates were coming…

To be Continued!


	13. Lap 13

==LAP 13=

Chiya, Earl, and Seppuku stood still with their weapons pointed towards the docking bridge's door, which was connecting the transport to Samurai Goroh's ship. Among them was also Dr. Stewart, who was traveling to Sand Ocean coincidentally at the same time as Seppuku. Chiya was shaking at the thought of how this would turn out, Goroh is a master pirate, and likely obtained that title for a reason, it would appear that they would be outgunned momentarily.

The security onboard were all stacked up around the door holding smg's, many of them trembling at the sound of men charging down the bridge. Suddenly the sound of all the footsteps came to a stop, and everything was silent. It was the silence that sealed the fear into everyone, unfortunately silence did not mean that they had left. In a matter of seconds all Hell broke lose when a pirate kicked open the door immediately spraying bullets all over the room. Immediately casualties were taken on both sides, the battle had now begun and there was pirates trying to break through the bodies on the ground blocking the door, unfortunately the security appeared to be getting overwhelmed. Seppuku was still preparing to fire at them as soon as they came into sight, but momentarily lowered his rifle watching the security get massacred.

"We need to fall back…" Seppuku muttered to his companions.

Chiya and Earl nodded and followed him back to where the cargo bay was, Dr. Stewart saw that they were retreating, and ordered what remaining security units to follow him. Dr. Stewart ran up grabbing a wounded unit, carrying him back with the other survivors. Moments later several pirates began charging into the ship, most of them wielding shotguns, they all were wearing something bearing the Japanese Battle Flag to signify their allegiance to Goroh. Moments later the Samurai himself came walking casually down the docking bridge, he dragged his katana across the floor leaving a sharp sound through the hallways. He stopped in front of all the dead bodies and sheathed his sword.

"Loot the bodies and pursue the resistance…" Goroh commanded.

Seppuku, Chiya, and Earl regrouped quickly in the cargo bay where the _Red Dove_ remained with many other vehicles. Chiya was completely traumatized sitting on the floor in fear, Earl was kneeling behind some crates anticipating the pirates to arrive, Seppuku naturally, was standing blankly in the open thinking. Noone was talking to each other, and Seppuku was becoming more stressed by the minute, the Cargo Bay was one of the first places the pirates would check once they secured the area.

"Alright…here's the plan…" Seppuku said looking at the two.

Chiya stood up feeling better knowing that Seppuku had a plan of action finally.

"Chiya, you and me are going to find Goroh and resolve this matter ourselves."

Chiya nodded, then looked at Earl, "Earl, you will disguise yourself as a pirate and enter his ship, once you disable the weapons system you just need to get back here alive."

Chiya grabbed Seppuku's arm with force, "I object to that plan! You can't make him do something that suicidal!" Chiya complained.

Seppuku raised an eyebrow looking at her, "I don't want to hear any of your sass Ms. Mercy" Seppuku countered referring to her sparing of Michael Chain.

Chiya clenched her teeth and right hand as if she was about to land a punch on Seppuku, tension all of a sudden was adding up between the two.

"No Chiya, he's right, if we don't deal with that ship we're just sitting ducks…" Earl said shrugging.

Chiya gasped upon hearing his positive response, "But can't we just do it after or before we deal with Goroh?"

Earl let out a chuckle, "Relax…I'll be fine…"

Chiya was looking at the two frantically looking for a different resolution, "Damn my soul to Hell if I die before I finish your F-Zero machine" he said grinning.

Chiya growled still rejecting such a risk for her friend, but was outnumbered two to one. "Fine, I'll trust you two…" she muttered.

Seppuku had already begun walking, "Then let's do this, I hate being behind schedule…"

Goroh and his men had already left the area where the first battle took place, and he now was having a standoff between Dr. Stewart between a hallway with a door separating it, one side of the hallway had Dr. Stewart and the security forces, the other had Goroh and his pirates. Goroh was standing in the back, crossing his arm, when suddenly the door opened, an unarmed security officer came walking up with his hands up, a paper in one hand. Goroh issued a halt order with his hand, allowing the lone officer to proceed towards Goroh.

"The Galactic Federation has readied an offer for you…" he said holding the paper out.

Goroh smiled and instantly unsheathed his katana, slashing the paper right out of his hand into two pieces. The officer stood still shaking, then looking at his hand, thankful that it was still attached to his arm. Goroh grabbed the paper in midair and looked at the offer.

"Five-Thousand Credits?"

The pirates all began to laugh at the offer for peace, Goroh did not laugh but continued smiling, crumpling the paper up and handing it back to the officer.

"They're going to have to do better than that!" he shouted smiling.

The officer took the paper and stepped back, going back towards the door separating the two groups from combating each other.

Goroh sheathed his blade again, "Tell the Federation that they have five minutes before we storm that hallway!"

The officer rushed back through the door nearly falling over upon entering. The door closed and the two groups continued their short armistice.

Earl equipped one of the Japanese Battle Flag headbands that was on a body, and took one of their shotguns. Chiya stood by Seppuku, as Earl now stood ready for his role in the mission.

"Like I said, it'll be a piece of cake, I'll be in and out just like that!" Earl reassured.

Chiya nodded, Seppuku held his rifle in both hands, "Then this is where we part ways…" Seppuku said looking down the hallway Goroh went down.

Earl saluted him holding the shotgun over his back, "Alright, good luck…"

Earl stepped into the bridge, looking back pointing at Chiya, "Don't _you _die, I'll be bored without someone in the garage to talk to every day" he stated finally leaving through the bridge.

Chiya and Earl departed down the hallway, searching for the pirates.

Goroh and his men were giving the Federation little time to make a final offer before they ransacked the ship completely. He stood on top of a fallen shelf, his hand rubbing the handle of his katana anxiously. Goroh impatiently checked his watch, he mainly knew that the Federation would not offer him a deal that actually interested him, but knew that the waiting would further crush the morale of everyone defending the ship. Goroh stepped down from the fallen object and put his hand on his second in commands shoulder. "Alright, you are in charge of this fight, I'm going to go scout the other sections for surviving officers…" Goroh said walking away.

His Captain grinned at him as he walked away, licking his lips, "Alright boys, prepare to blow that door to pieces!" he shouted.

Seppuku and Chiya were cautiously rounding corners, seeing bullet holes in the walls, but still no leads on the pirates. What was obvious however was that they were still very close by, they also had to account for the fact that more pirates could come from behind, reinforcing Goroh's men.

"Let's just head towards that dining room, I'm guessing it's the passengers Goroh wants correct?" Chiya proposed.

Seppuku nodded, "Yep, once the security is out of the way he can mug all of these people and leave, so let's not even give him the pleasure…"

The two suddenly heard an explosion nearby and gunfire beginning to unleash. Seppuku and Chiya were likely only two halls away from the fight, so they began to run towards it quickly yet cautiously.

Earl entered Goroh's ship, pirates had already walked past him without noticing anything suspicious about him, so he walked around the ship publicly, but not in a way that may attract any attention. Goroh's ship was slightly smaller than the transport, but would still be a puzzle trying to find out where the main systems are, and when he found them he would still need to figure out how to disable them without fellow workers noticing.

Earl walked down the side of the main hallway, which was very wide, the ship was dark and had pirates walking around everywhere, all equipped with weapons. Earl fitted right in with them, except that he was dressed a little more neatly than the rest, but since he comes from the Lower City of Mute City, still appeared to be of the poor. He looked in every door he could, all of them being irrelevant to what he is looking for, the first fear he had was whether the weapons systems were controlled in the command deck, which would be the most populated area of the ship.

Earl entered a room with computer screens, but it did not appear to be what he was looking for, but something that did interest him. The screens displayed the 'pros and cons' of the _Fire Stingray_, Goroh's F-Zero machine. Earl quickly read some of the important details, like that the booster was of the rare 'Class S', which was a part not even someone like Captain Falcon could simply go purchase. Earl also noticed another panel, revealing a project called 'Super Stingray', it revealed an image of a shiny black _Fire Stingray_, with the same flame decals, but would feature many special features, the estimated cost was in the millions.

_This must be what he wants to do with the Grand Prix prize money…_ Earl concluded.

The pirates and officers were still shooting at each other, the pirates had officially pushed through the door and was now using their cover against them, it was a game of Trench Warfare. Both sides were taking bad hits, but the pirates had a much larger manpower and more devastating weapons, as more officers fell, Dr. Stewart was beginning to find a resolution to the conflict difficult.

Suddenly, Seppuku and Chiya slid behind the cover that they were using in the other side of the hallway and began firing at the pirates. The captain of Goroh's pirates gasped, Seppuku and Chiya was flanking them perfectly, leaving them exposed, but if they took cover from them, they would be exposed to the officers. Within seconds the pirates were trying to pick their targets carefully but was not agreeing on which side to shoot at. The pirates took heavy casualties before the Captain sprinted over to the door shutting it, Chiya and Seppuku would need to open it if they wished to finish them off.

"What now?" Chiya asked.

Seppuku stood still, he was scanning his memory of what he just saw for where Goroh was, he was clearly nowhere in that area, and could not have passed the officers.

"Goroh must still be in his ship…" Seppuku muttered.

Chiya looked at him quickly, "Are we going to help Dr. Stewart?"

Seppuku shook his head negatively, "We did all we could, if we open that door we'll be massacred…"

Chiya's eyes began to sparkle sadly at the thought of all the officers perishing, Seppuku sighed looking into her eyes, feeling sympathy for her, "We shook them up, they will pull through, I swear this to you…"

Chiya nodded slowly, "Hopefully Earl can get out of this mess alive then…"

The pirates were all trembling, the attack they just had on them left them very numbered, but still at a fighting chance against the officers, who had now retreated as far as they can go.

"Sir, the security has nowhere else to run, do we pursue them right to the end?" a pirate asked.

The captain clenched his teeth, thinking if they even had enough to rob the passengers anymore. He was now beginning to doubt Goroh, understanding that Goroh simply fled the battlefield rather than searching for others on the ship. The captain growled angrily at the situation they were in.

"I see why Antonio Guster betrayed Goroh…we're just fighting for his own personal gain!" the captain yelled.

The other pirates looked at him, awaiting orders. He shut his eyes, rubbing his chin, "First we finish off these pests…rob the place, then we kill Goroh, this is my legion now!" he shouted.

The other pirates looked at him, amazed at his sudden betrayal of Goroh, he was declaring himself new leader, first needing to eliminate Goroh.

The captain looked up and ordered his men forward, "Attack! Fight these wealthy scum into submission!" he yelled.

Earl had come to the realization that the Weapons system was indeed on the Command deck, this would be more difficult than he first thought. He had still slipped by everyone unnoticed, but had to find the Command deck. He saw a pirate walking towards him, he had to think of something quickly or he may be uncovered.

Earl saluted the pirate facing him, "Goroh wants me to look over the ships weapons, he says that we are probably going to have to blow the transport sky high, where is the quickest way onto the deck?" Earl asked, praying that he was convincing.

The pirate crossed his arms, and pointed at a door behind him, "Elevator will take you right into the center…" he pushed Earl aside walking into a restroom.

Earl grinned, then quickly ran into the elevator, there was only two buttons, up and down. He made it go up, and instantly he was being took to the ships Command deck. Once it opened, it was to his displeasure that there were nearly forty people hanging around, he would never be able to get the weapons offline with that many people watching. Earl stepped out of the elevator into the deck, looking around firstly for where the weapons system may be in the first place, that is when he spotted it, three men were sitting at it however.

Earl stomped on the ground, then took cover behind a wall, thinking what to do next. He was either going to simply need to persuade them to turn the weapons off, then disable it, or find a way to get everyone off the deck. He looked around for something to distract them with, when he saw the perfect opportunity. On several walls within the ship were red devices, that if a code was entered, could become an intercom, all he needed to do was hack into this, once he did that he could order everyone in the ship to leave the deck.

He immediately dashed over to the most concealed looking one, he grabbed out a pocket tool and began opening it up. The device would still need a code however, which he could solve with a code breaker he always carried. He managed to unscrew the plating of the device and pulled out his code breaker, this would take some time which is why he chose to find one that was concealed.

Chiya looked up through the window carefully, the pirates had all left that hallway as well at this point.

"Seppuku, I think we can proceed now, no one's in there."

Seppuku looked at her, "You really want to help out huh?"

Chiya nodded, and Seppuku smiled at her for once, finally doing something that Seppuku was in full support of. "Maybe you're not as merciful for criminals than I thought…" he said kicking down the door right away.

The two charged down the hallway, the pirates were just around the corner fighting the officers right against the door that would lead to the dining room, where everyone was staying. Seppuku and Chiya slowly approached the side of the wall, preparing for a final assault on the pirates. Chiya began to tremble, but suddenly got a burst of motivation, surprisingly even before Seppuku, she dashed around the corner firing her gun at what was left of the pirates. Once again, the pirates were caught off guard, only six remained, Chiya and Seppuku quickly brought down two of them, the officers then charged in the room assaulting the rest of them. Within seconds only the Captain remained, he was shaking as he was surrounded from both directions. He stood shaking like he was about to collapse in a puddle of his own urine, aiming his shotgun at Seppuku, but he just couldn't keep the gun steady anymore, and dropped it.

He grabbed his face, "It's not fair…It wasn't suppose to go like this…" he muttered chillingly as he was defeated by Justice.

Earl successfully broke into the device turning on the intercom, he now had an even more devious plan than before, "Attention all passengers, Samurai Goroh has ordered that all personnel regroup inside of the cargo bay for a surprise, the ransacking of the ship was, how you say, more than plentiful…"

All of the pirates in the deck gasped at Earl's message on the intercom, without even questioning it, they all cheering stampeding down one floor to the cargo bay. Earl momentarily looked around the corner, seeing no one left in the Command deck, without hesitation, he ran to the control panel, and began working on the Weapons system. Without much work surprisingly, he disabled it, turning all of the ship's weapons offline. Earl smiled looking at his success, he then grabbed a chair and smashed the computer several times, ensuring that no one reactivates the weapons. After the computer was wrecked beyond repair, he walked over to another computer, looking for the security access terminal.

"Let's see…" he muttered to himself.

He looked up in front of the window, there were security cameras everywhere, and the Cargo Bay was completely packed with Goroh's men.

Earl clenched his teeth smiling at this, working on the Security Access terminal, "Hook, Line, and Sucker…" he said magnetically locking the Cargo Bay doors.

He had now trapped most if not all of the pirates inside of the Cargo Bay, he began walking away from the computers back to the lower part of the ship. He began to happily whistle taking his trip back to the transport ship.

"Where's Goroh!" Seppuku demanded slamming the Captain against the wall.

The Captain was as weak as a noodle, shivering and giving unclear responses to Seppuku. Dr. Stewart walked over to the Captain, who was being roughly held by Seppuku by the neck.

"We know you weren't the one behind the attack, Goroh was, you may be in trouble, but the Galactic Federation will always look positively towards those who do the right thing, even if you are a criminal."

The Captain looked at Dr. Stewart, feeling ashamed of his actions, but this time got too deep into trouble, "He said he was going to check the other sections of the ship for survivors…" he admitted.

Seppuku and Chiya looked back, "So he may still be in this ship somewhere…" Seppuku muttered.

Chiya grabbed Seppuku's arm, "Come on let's go find Earl."

Seppuku nodded, "Bastard better have not died in that ship…"

The two left the hallway, the remaining three officers saluted Seppuku and Chiya as they ran off to find Earl.

Seppuku and Earl was sprinting across the hallways, they needed to find Samurai Goroh quickly before he could get back to his ship. Everywhere they ran there were bullet holes and pools of blood on the ground. The ship was at this point fairly dark, as the lights in most of the halls were shot during the firefights.

"Goroh probably went for the Command deck of this ship to find the ones in charge" Seppuku pointed out.

It was then that the two came to a stop right where the docking bridge between the two ships were. Samurai Goroh stood still, with his katana drawn, clenching his teeth with furious anger. Chiya's eyes widened immensely and let out a loud gasp, Earl was standing captive between Goroh's arms.

"Goroh!" Seppuku yelled angrily.

"Let him go!" Chiya pleaded to Samurai Goroh.

Goroh was grinding his teeth angrily, "Seppuku…you truly are a man of mystery! You two have taken much from me! So I will take something from you!" he shouted incredibly loud.

He then lunged his katana straight through Earl's back, leaving him with a shocked expression, seeing the blade coming right out of his own chest. Chiya screamed as soon as Goroh struck him, and Seppuku lifted his rifle towards Goroh.

"You damn greedy bastard!" Seppuku shouted.

Goroh hesitantly withdrew his katana from his chest, then threw him at Seppuku, quickly escaping through the docking bridge. Seppuku caught Earl, but threw him at Chiya, quickly pursuing Goroh, Seppuku was right behind Goroh, but it was too late, Goroh had already closed the door, he stood still watching Seppuku still run towards him hopelessly. Seppuku came to the glass door, and began pounding on it with great force, then trying to shoot at it, but it was no use, the door was too powerful to be broken.

An enraged Seppuku gave up, and put away his rifle, Goroh stared at him with a blank expression, then unsheathed his katana, simply walking away into his own ship. Seppuku angrily marched back out of the docking bridge, Goroh's ship had moments later departed away from the transport, flying away quickly. Seppuku looked at Chiya, who was holding a shaking Earl on the ground, neither Seppuku or Chiya had any words to express.

All the passengers were safe, but Earl remained in a completely unstable state, and Seppuku's list for targets, now included Samurai Goroh.

To be Continued!


	14. Lap 14

==LAP 14=

The transport had returned to it's plotted course now that Goroh left the area, but was keeping the passengers away from most of the ship, as it had blood and bodies all over the floor. The lone survivor of the raiding party, who was Goroh's right-hand man, was being held captive by the Federation in an area of the ship. Most of the passengers could not return to their calm state, rioting and complaining about the risks they took when Goroh attacked, but of course some understood the risks of flying in space and commended the security for a job well done.

The speakers around the ship had suddenly turned on, "We would like to apologize for the inconvenience, the matter has been dealt with, and the traveling expenses will come free of charge upon reaching the destination, at this time we must ask you to remain in the social area as an investigation is underway, thank you."

Chiya was standing aside Earl and Seppuku, Earl was not awake and was laying in a bed in the emergency room of the ship. Dr. Stewart had been healing him ever since Earl had been stabbed by Samurai Goroh. Dr. Stewart crossed his arms looking at Chiya and Seppuku, Chiya had watery eyes, Seppuku stood motionless with his typical non-amused looking expression.

"That's about all I can do for him, Goroh did rupture internal organs which may not look good for him, but I did patch everything up to the best of my abilities" Dr. Stewart concluded.

"What are the odds of survival?" Seppuku asked.

Dr. Stewart looked him in the eyes with the utmost honesty, "I won't lie, that all depends on whether he wakes up or not, I've had more serious injuries successfully tackled before, but medical science does not always prevail when it comes to humans…"

Chiya clenched her teeth angrily grabbed Seppuku, "This is all your fault! You never should have assigned him such a dangerous mission!" she yelled.

Seppuku stood still looking at Earl, "Whether you like it or not, it happened, nothing can be changed by yelling…"

Chiya was looking at him angrily, Dr. Stewart walking away feeling it was wrong to insert himself into their personal problems.

"You just need someone to blame, the mission I gave him had nothing to do with his fate, he did his part of the mission perfectly, but was at the wrong place at the wrong time…"

Chiya let go of Seppuku, putting her hands on the edge of the bed instead, still with an angry expression, she was shaking with her eyes shut. "Do you even care if Earl makes it?"

Seppuku looked down at her, "Of course I do, if he dies, I'll need someone else to do my F-Zero repairs, probably you."

Chiya glared at him finally, letting her anger take control of her, she threw a punch across Seppuku's face. Seppuku was pushed back slightly and grabbed his face immediately after, then looking furiously at Chiya.

"Dammit! If he dies I'm done with you!" she yelled preparing to march out the door.

Seppuku growled walking towards her, "Idiot! Earl wanted to do this, it was his wish that you did not worry about him before he entered the ship, even if Earl does die, you honored his final request, and he could die peacefully!" Seppuku shouted.

Chiya found his choice of words offensive, making it sound like Earl was probably as good as dead. She walked out the door leaving Seppuku behind without any recognition for his actions whatsoever. Dr. Stewart reentered the room as Chiya angrily marched past him in a blazing fury.

Seppuku looked at Dr. Stewart and exhaled, "I can't lose both of these two…my entire operation will collapse without help."

Dr. Stewart shrugged not knowing how to answer, "You could drop all of the violence and try and rejoin the Galactic Federation" Stewart proposed.

Seppuku brushed off the proposal immediately, "I would sooner take off my visor…" he said leaving the room as well.

Chiya was walking down the hallways, looking at all of the dead bodies, horrified at all of the dead security who sacrificed themselves, just so the people of the ship could keep their valuables, this was a true demonstration of commitment for freedom. A frustrated Chiya continued down the hallways, hoping to walk off some of her anger. A part of her knew that Seppuku was not to blame at all for what happened to Earl, what he said was basically true, he was just at the wrong place at the wrong time, if he had returned at any other time he would not have been caught by Goroh, and the mission would have went as planned. Chiya just had the desire to blame those who may have led to this, Goroh himself being the worst contributor obviously.

She turned around, looking out a window of the ship, she laid her arms out across the ledge, looking out at the endless amount of stars in space. She knew she was in Seppuku's organization too deep to just quit at this point, but something about staying with him continued to create a feeling of sorrow, as if everything she had gone through up to this point was still going badly. One of the main things she still found exciting about working with Seppuku was the F-Zero racing, he had three more races to compete in. Looking at a lone star out in space, Chiya began to plot something in her head that may compensate for the damage Goroh did to her.

Seppuku was outside of the room Earl was in, simply leaning against the wall motionless, his fedora was tipped covering his visor completely. Chiya approached him with a more calm attitude now.

"Lieutenant Seppuku" she greeted.

Seppuku barely moved his hat up, slightly looking at her, "Yes?"

Chiya looked at him with a serious expression, "I was thinking, perhaps a good way to settle this issue would be to take Goroh out during the third race" she proposed inspired.

Seppuku grinned approvingly at her recommendation, but killed the grin mere seconds later. "I love your thinking…but I can't do that."

Chiya got a frustrated expression again, "Why?" she asked quickly.

Seppuku stepped away from the wall, tilting his fedora back to normal, "His fan base is too large, if I take him out we will have our asses watched angrily by thousands, maybe millions."

"Why does that concern you?"

"It can complicate things greatly, a long time ago before the F-Zero X Grand Prix, someone actually managed to bust the Blue Falcon's engines intentionally…" Seppuku explained.

"-and?"

Seppuku chuckled, "Let's just say… that person is F-Zero racing in the sky now…" he said now smiling.

Chiya sighed, collapsing onto the floor sitting. Seppuku broke his smile, looking down at her, Seppuku had sighed as well, slowly looking down at her.

"Everything will be fine…" he assured Chiya.

Chiya looked up at him surprised, it was a rare moment where Seppuku actually tried making the situation more calm.

"God wouldn't put an engineer of his skills in our universe, just to get killed by a fat Samurai on a transport…" he said looking away from Chiya.

She was pushing her two fingers together, looking down, "I had friends on my planet, but I left them for opportunities in Mute City… I just feel so alone now…"

Seppuku looked back down at her, feeling more satisfied that she was not constantly challenging and yelling at him.

"I'm sorry if I have been more than a handful lately, I just don't want to lose any more friends…" she said sadly.

Seppuku looked up grinning, "Perhaps we should try to… relax… while we're here…" he said cringing at the term _relax_.

Later on, the three F-Zero racers were invited to a private area of the ship, the only three in the ship were: Lieutenant Seppuku, Dr. Stewart, and Mighty Gazelle, who is a cyborg. Chiya, not being an F-Zero racer was not allowed to come along so she remained around the Emergency section of the ship.

Seppuku was sitting in a cream colored chair calmly, Dr. Stewart in another chair, Mighty Gazelle standing in the center of the room.

"So we are in agreement then?" Seppuku asked concluding a conversation.

Dr. Stewart nodded grinning, "I agree, it would be within best interests to form an alliance this upcoming race, to make sure Goroh has no chance of winning."

"Racer Goroh has imposed a very provocative action towards humanity, therefore I will advocate your proposal" Gazelle responded.

Seppuku nodded, "Unfortunately we can't risk actually eliminating Goroh, the fans would have our heads."

Dr. Stewart nodded in agreement, "There will be times outside of the race to deal with him, the best we can do is ensure that he does not win the Grand Prix."

Mighty Gazelle approached the two more closely, pointing his finger up, "May I propose an idea?"

Seppuku and Stewart both looked at him allowing him to talk, "Perhaps we can align one more racer to our pact, racer Antonio Guster as I recall, originally was Goroh's Second in command, but now lusts for revenge."

Seppuku smirked at the idea of doing this, Dr. Stewart had a look of doubt on his face, "Antonio Guster is an enemy of the Federation, that would be treason."

Seppuku laughed at Stewart's statement, "Treason…for merely showing lack of aggression towards another racer, typical Galactic Federation…"

Stewart looked at him angrily, "He is not just _another racer_, he is a bandit just like Goroh, he is a convict that escaped from prison."

"If my sources are correct, Galactic Federation protocols states that you can only be held for treason if the offender was directly helping the convict, what I am proposing is that we sign off a pact of non-aggression with Guster" Mighty Gazelle explained.

Dr. Stewart rubbed his chin contemplating, ultimately nodding, "I will support this, but only if one of you two ask him, I refuse to meet up with a criminal."

Seppuku waved his hand in the air, "I'll hunt him down at Sand Ocean, us two think alike, therefore making me the superior negotiator."

Dr. Stewart stood up grinning, "Then the best of luck to us in this race…" he began to walk out of the room when he stopped.

"Ah, Seppuku, the surviving security officers wanted me to thank you for saving them, I'm sure that goes for your female companion as well…" he concluded walking out the door.

Seppuku continued to sit, alone with Mighty Gazelle, the robot continued to stare at Seppuku even though the conversation had ended. Seppuku tilted his fedora down, blocking his view of Mighty Gazelles eyes. Seppuku had later begun to fall asleep sitting down, the Mighty Gazelle had powered down, waiting until they got to Sand Ocean.

=TWO YEARS AGO=

A Grand Prix race had just ended, Seppuku finished in 15th place, Captain Falcon coming in first, the race track was in Mute City, the first track that Chiya had gotten to go to. The _Red Dove_ drove out of the track behind the _Blood Hawk_, followed by other racers. Earl had been watching the race from inside the cantina that was implemented into the stadium. Earl was sitting around a table of other fans, slamming his hand on the table. Earl was wearing a black T-Shirt, with the words _Red Dove_ on it in red, one of the men he was with was wearing a Captain Falcon fan made headband.

"Earl Bendek, you now owe me Five-Hundred credits…" the man said smirking.

An angry Earl threw the money onto the table, "Fine…lesson learned, Captain Falcon also wins in Mute City…" Earl admitted.

Earl got up and stormed away from the table angrily, the other three men laughed at his misfortune, "You have a lesson to learn Bendek! Seppuku is too green to beat Captain Falcon!" one yelled at Earl.

Seppuku at the time was a fairly new racer, but oddly enough seemed to fit in with the rest of the F-Zero racers immediately, at times he had even matched Captain Falcon's skills, but in the end could not take the victory home. Earl had been walking down the main hallway leading to the exit of the building, the souvenir stands were especially filled after the race, ones centered on Captain Falcon products being the most popular. Earl simply walked past all of the people, finding it unnecessary to spend any more money.

He stepped outside of the building and looked around for his vehicle, before he spotted it however, he could see a group of people surrounding someone. He closely observed the group, now noticing that the person that was surrounded was the racer Lieutenant Seppuku. Closer observations revealed that he was being surrounded by fans of Blood Falcon, who was a mass murdering criminal.

"You don't know what you just got yourself into Seppuku!" one of the Blood Falcon fans said chuckling.

Seppuku stood completely still, not revealing any look of fear, "Actually, _you_ don't…" he corrected the man.

The other three men looked at Seppuku carefully, all grinning at him. "The mistake you made was battering up Blood Falcon's machine, that race was in the bag for him!"

Seppuku laughed, "Yeah right, Blood Falcon is just a fake, Captain Falcon is just as much trash as he is, but Blood Falcon is a clone of that trash, so in the end, congratulations, you are fans of cloned trash…"

The four men began to punch Seppuku, getting in a fight, Seppuku held his ground and made some powerful punches at the men, but was ultimately overwhelmed. Earl ran over to the group and grabbed one of the men, throwing him off of Seppuku.

"The Hell is your problem?" Earl demanded punching the man.

Seppuku then slipped out of the three others grasps and got back on his feet, "Come on then!" he yelled at the three.

He grabbed one of them by the head and threw him at another, then leaping onto the two beating them up. Earl was in a fist fight with one of the fans, both landing punches at each other. Seppuku grabbed the third fan and slammed him into the wall of the building, leaving his face bleeding. The fan fighting Seppuku looked at his friend who was bleeding, and backed away from Earl.

"Fine…we don't have time for the likes of you anyways" he said looking at Seppuku.

He signaled for his friends to follow, then the four began to walk away from Earl and Seppuku. Seppuku brushed off his coat, slowly looking at Earl, an angry expression on his face.

"It was no problem…" Earl answered.

"What? Do you expect some kind of appreciation from me? I had that fight under control myself."

Seppuku completely disregarded the fact that Earl was wearing a fan shirt directed towards him. He grabbed out the _Red Dove_'s key and signaled for it to autopilot to him. Earl looked in fascination as the large red vehicle quickly drove up to him, Seppuku opened the cockpit and prepared to depart with nothing else to say to Earl.

Earl looked at the _Red Dove_'s engine, cringing in disgust, Seppuku slowly turned his head towards him, "Do you have a problem with my machine?" he asked offended.

Earl nodded, not feeling very intimidated by him, "Yes actually, that engine looks like it was made before F-Zero machines even existed, it can't possibly be made for competition…"

Seppuku raised an eyebrow, watching Earl circle around the _Red Dove_, Earl looked behind the vehicle, measuring the width and height, "-and I barely call this symmetrical…you must have a hard time taking out other racers if this was so horribly shaped."

"I didn't make the Red Dove" Seppuku coldly stated.

Earl bent over, looking under the vehicle, "Not only is your engine old, but it's leaking, I can't believe this thing hasn't broken down!" he said concerned.

Seppuku growled at all of Earl's complaints about the _Red Dove_, "That leaking will probably drain your energy quickly once you get to the long stretched tracks, you'll have to be grabbing every restoration pad in sight!"

Seppuku stomped his foot on the ground, startling Earl, "What are you implying I do?"

Earl shrugged his shoulders, "Well…I do several odd jobs having to do with engineering, maybe I could fix some crucial things here, and you pay me in the end…"

Seppuku was not very interested in having Earl work on his machine temporarily, but knew that he was right about the _Red Dove_ needing maintenance. "How much credits are we talking about?"

Earl shut his eyes, raising an eyebrow, "I don't know… maybe around three-thousand, if I do a good job."

Seppuku rubbed his chin thinking about the proposal, shaking his head negatively, but then he grinned deviously. "So you are unemployed?" he asked.

"I do random odd jobs having to do with any kind of engineering, I went to University and studied it well."

Seppuku chuckled lifting his fedora upward, "I don't have that many credits at the moment…but I have a proposal for you I think you will find more than fair…"

Earl stood still, looking at him somewhat disturbed at his unusual look of excitement, "Get in the Red Dove, I want to talk to you about an idea I have…" he said getting in the pilot seat.

Suddenly Earl opened his eyes quickly, he found himself in the emergency room of the ship, tucked into bed. He slowly lifted himself up, lifting his shirt up, he noticed that he had stitches where he had been stabbed by Goroh. The room was completely dark, with no lights at all, he looked down on his legs, noticing that someone had placed a cross on his bed. _Someone must have thought I was going to die…_ he thought to himself. He carefully lifted himself off of the bed, having a hard time moving with the throbbing pain still in his chest, but he was able to walk nonetheless. He found his shirt and leather coat, the white shirt was completely blood stained and ripped open, he disregarded the shirt and simply put on his coat.

_What happened? Did we win?_ he wondered trying to remember what happened just before he got stabbed. He looked at the door to the room and decided to go find Seppuku. Upon exiting the door, he was confronted with an overly shocked Chiya who had been standing in the hallway. She gasped looking at him with her mouth slightly dropped. Earl wiped his forehead looking at her, realizing that he must have been in critical condition given her initial reaction to him walking out the door alive.

"Thank God…" she muttered in amazement.

She smiled and began walking towards him, when suddenly Seppuku kicked open the door behind her startling both Earl and Chiya. "Flower, I have news you mi-"

Seppuku then stopped, noticing that Earl was standing alive near the door, Seppuku grinned then nodded at Earl, "Excellent."

Chiya slowly turned towards Seppuku still overwhelmed, "What's the news?" she asked.

Seppuku cleared his throat, standing tall as usual, "I have signed off an alliance with Dr. Stewart and the Mighty Gazelle, we're going to make sure Goroh pays for what he did."

Chiya smiled at Seppuku, "Damn right he'll pay…"

Earl grinned, understanding that Goroh must have left the ship defeated, and began to laugh at something. Chiya and Seppuku turned towards him, Seppuku raising an eyebrow, "What?"

Earl shut his eyes clenching his teeth in joy, "I did something to Goroh that probably pissed him off even more…"

The two looked at him, wondering what else Earl did other than disabling his Weapon system.

Far away from the transport, in an unknown part of space, Goroh marched down his ship angrily. "Where the Hell are my men!?" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

He was searching the entire ship for his pirate crew, none in the immediate area to work the Command deck. "Those lazy fools probably ran off while I was gone…" he muttered angrily.

He walked past the Cargo Bay, which still had it's door magnetically sealed by Earl.

To be Continued!


	15. Lap 15

==LAP 15=

"Welcome to Sand Ocean, a barren wasteland of unpredictable weather and heat, we hope you enjoy the upcoming F-Zero race, and apologize again for the inconvenience during the trip, all expenses have been paid for on our behalf" the captain of the transport said to the passengers over the intercom.

The ship had finally landed near one of the only settlements on the planet, Sand Ocean was not a very popular place, as the planet had no source of food or water, and had wild animals outside of the tracks. The race tracks were the only reason people would possibly come to the planet, it would be the ideal place for convicts to run to, but only if they were well prepared. The F-Zero committee worked to make sure that all racers had their vehicles safely in storage until the race, otherwise were asked to come on the last day and simply drive into the track.

Chiya, Earl, and Seppuku stood in the Cargo Bay by the _Red Dove_, the Cargo Bay door was opened and a huge loading ramp was touching the ground. They were free to go as soon as they wanted, but Seppuku would need to get the _Red Dove_ in storage first.

"I'll go ahead, you two meet me at the track as fast as you can…" Seppuku ordered climbing aboard the _Red Dove_.

Earl nodded, he was wearing everything he normally does at this point, but had to resort to using his coat as a shirt since his shirt was destroyed.

"Seppuku wait!" Dr. Stewart yelled walking quickly over to him.

Seppuku looked out the cockpit and leaned over, "Yes?"

Dr. Stewart handed him a paper that was printed out, "Mighty Gazelle had found out that Antonio Guster is here, but he took his own ship here and landed somewhere out in the mountainous area."

Seppuku tilted his fedora down exhaling, "Way out there huh?"

Dr. Stewart nodded, walking away shortly after he looked at the map. Seppuku looked at Earl and Chiya, "As I said, meet me at the track, then we are going to travel to this area on foot."

Chiya leaped up to him shocked, "Out there? It must be over a hundred!" she yelled.

Seppuku let out a laugh in agreement, "You're the lucky one, I have to wear all of this clothing in that heat…"

Chiya pointed her finger upward, "Why do you _have _to wear-"

Before Chiya could finish, Seppuku had left the ship driving quickly towards the track that was at the edge of the town. Chiya and Earl looked at each other both shrugging, they then took a step outside, Chiya was immediately stopped and froze in shock of how hot it was.

She immediately began to groan, "There's no way we'll survive out in the desert!" she complained.

Earl laughed leaving her behind, "Seppuku isn't going to be happy if we have to wait for you."

Chiya then ran back up to him, not wanting to hear Seppuku lecture her about being _useless_ or _weak_. Fortunately the track was only on the other side of the city, and the city was nothing compared to Mute City, most buildings only being small apartments. Despite the lack of interest on the planet, there were locals walking around the town who were wearing either a light robe, or shirtless. The planet relied heavily on food aide from other planets, but had little to offer as there was nothing of importance that anyone would want in exchange for food. The main income the planet made was from the annual F-Zero races, which was difficult since Sand Ocean was not a chosen track every year.

Chiya continued to moan as they walked up the streets of the city, Earl was remaining silent the whole trip, Chiya moaned again and was beginning to annoy Earl.

"Yes, okay, I know it's hot, you've established that five moans ago…" he said with a bland expression.

A man in a robe was looking at the two, rubbing his hands together he ran towards them. "You two!" he yelled.

Chiya and Earl turned towards the man, he had a nearly shaved head and was smiling for some reason. "Get your gun ready, this guy looks a bit odd" he whispered to Chiya.

The man approached the two panting, "You two like F-Zero don't you?" he said with a devious smile.

"Yes?" Earl asked.

"I got something for you then…" he said digging into his pocket. He pulled out a piece of crumpled paper.

"It's an F-Zero ticket that lets you in every race…I'm thinking we can make a deal for maybe four-thousand credits!"

Earl looked at the paper, it was clearly made with a marker, and was spelled wrong, labeled: 'fzero tiket'.

Earl waved his hand negatively, "We're good…we already have access to all races for free."

The man stomped his foot on the ground, "Damn it all!"

Chiya and Earl slowly began walking away from the man, "Tell your pals about my offer!" he yelled.

Not long after, they arrived at the track, Seppuku was standing by some garage doors waiting. Chiya and Earl had approached him, as always he appeared to be displeased.

"That took you guys awhile…" he said silently.

Earl scratched the back of his head, "Yeah, we just need to adapt to this planets immensely hot conditions."

Seppuku nodded, "Whatever, it's time to go."

Chiya flailed her arms in the air angrily, "Already?"

"The race is tomorrow, we need to hurry up."

Chiya exhaled, not very excited for the long trip through the desert. Seppuku smirked at her, then raised up the map Dr. Stewart gave him. The map showed that Antonio Guster took his own ship and landed near some large rock formations, as a criminal it is a necessary precaution to take.

"You can actually see the mountains way up ahead, should take us about an hour or two if we leave now…" he said pointing at the destination.

"Well let's just get this over with" said Earl.

Seppuku nodded in agreement, and began walking towards the direction. Chiya and Earl followed him closely, it was not advised to leave the city at any time due to dangerous animals and lack of resources. They just needed to see if Antonio Guster was in that area and try and get him to help them deal with Goroh. Antonio Guster was originally a good friend of Samurai Goroh, and was his right-hand man, until Samurai Goroh betrayed him, leaving him for the Galactic Federation to pick up, once he escaped from prison he knew that Goroh had to pay.

About fifty minutes into the walk, both Seppuku and Earl were over exhausted, Chiya was practically dying. She rubbed her forehead with an exhausted expression, it was unknown if she was more hot than Seppuku and Earl, or if she just liked to complain.

"I can't stand this heat anymore!" she yelled holding her face.

"Why did we bring her along?" Seppuku asked Earl silently.

"Once we get to these mountains I am going to finally rest whether you like it or not…" she challenged Seppuku.

Seppuku groaned at her, "Just take your shirt off…"

Chiya suddenly got a highly offended expression on her face, Earl looked away from the two, feeling the need to laugh. Chiya punched Seppuku's arm, but barely had any effect on Seppuku.

"What? You keep going on about how you're dying in this heat so…"

Seppuku was interrupted as the three began to feel massive shaking in the ground, Chiya kneeled down and touched the ground.

"A quake?" she proposed.

Suddenly a giant snake like creature darted out of the sand into the air, Chiya and Earl fell to the ground shaking instantly, Seppuku was still standing tall looking at the giant creature gliding in the air above them. The creature was much larger than the three, and could easily swallow them all in one gulp if it wished. Chiya was completely stunned at the tower sized serpent, her mouth wide open. Seppuku pulled his rifle off his back and rubbed his chin, contemplating on what to do.

He turned towards Chiya and Earl, "Alright, here's what you're going to do…"

Suddenly the serpent swallowed Seppuku and ascended back into the ground, Chiya's pupil size decreased at the sight of Seppuku completely engulfed by the creature.

"Earl!" she yelled looking for reassurance.

Earl was completely stunned, the ground had begun to shake again, and the creature came into the air once again, coming back for the other two. Chiya grabbed her handgun and began firing at the serpent, but was ultimately useless as it was too large. She clenched her teeth in fear, and took aim at it, lining up her sights with it's head.

"You should probably stop! That pistol aint' gonna' do the trick!" Earl yelled.

Chiya fired once at the creatures head and it immediately collapsed onto the ground dead. Chiya had an extremely confused expression, as everything had ended within five seconds after shooting it. Earl was jaw dropped, looking at the pistol she was holding. Suddenly Seppuku came walking out of the serpent completely untouched, he put his rifle back on his back and walked towards the two.

"As soon as it swallowed me I found it's internal organs…" Seppuku explained.

Chiya let out a quick laugh, "That makes more sense…"

They continued their walk, much more alert since the serpent attacked them, Chiya had not complained about the heat ever since. The mountains were much closer now, but still had to travel for several more minutes. Seppuku was holding his chin thinking, he then looked up and laughed.

"Hey wait a minute…I could have just drove the Red Dove here!" he yelled.

Chiya very slowly turned her head at him with a displeased expression, "What…?"

Seppuku grinned, "Yeah, could have just drove here myself, while you two stayed at a bar or something…"

Both Chiya and Earl had looks of amazement in their eyes, mostly in anger at Seppuku's lack of good planning. He began to chuckle, "That really sucks for you two…"

Chiya let out a long, heavy, sigh, mostly angry that they would have to travel all the way back as well.

The three approached the mountains, no sound was heard, and no ship could be seen in the immediate area, it was very likely that Seppuku had false information. Chiya and Earl stood still scanning the area, Seppuku began to climb, looking for a cave as it was the only place Guster would be able to survive in with such hot temperatures. He waited up on the mountain for Chiya and Earl to catch up, Earl quickly made it up, Chiya as always holding them back.

Seppuku turned around looking down at the rocky formations, it was then that something caught his eyes, a man was staring at him down below near an alley separating two mountains. He then ascended back into the alley out of sight, Seppuku smirked still looking at the alley.

"Think we found him…" Seppuku said silently.

Chiya had just made it to the top, panting, "Thank God…"

Chiya looked in front of her and saw Seppuku and Earl sliding back down, she moaned and began to climb back down the mountain. Seppuku and Earl stood looking at the alley, Chiya had quickly caught up with them and was trying to finally catch her breath. Neither Earl or Chiya knew where Seppuku was taking them at this point.

Seppuku approached the alley, looking around the corner carefully, it was completely dark, providing a great amount of shade. "Alright this m-"

Before he finished Chiya leaped into the shade, finally getting a break from the heat. "Dammit what are you doing?" Seppuku yelled at her.

He quickly ran up to her, taking the lead again, he pulled out his rifle and continued down the alley, eventually taking them into a more wide area, still away from the sun. Seppuku and Chiya stopped as soon as they entered the wide area, they had succeeded, the _Green Panther_ sat turned off, but Guster was not in sight. Seppuku grinned, and walked forward carefully, the man looking at him must have been Antonio Guster, but for whatever the reason he was not in the area anymore.

"Seppuku!" a voice rang Chiya's ears.

Seppuku stood still after hearing his voice, "Yes?" he asked in a joyful tone.

Antonio Guster stood above the cliff, aiming his shotgun at Chiya, he had an angry expression on his face. Antonio Guster wore a long white duster, with a blue shirt underneath, green camo pants, a blue racing helmet, and glasses similar to Goroh's. Chiya got a disturbed expression, _Why is he aiming at me?_ she wondered.

Seppuku was aiming his rifle at Guster, "Hello Guster…"

"Seppuku, I aint the criminal I use to be! But I sure as shit won't hesitate to blow your head off!" he shouted down at the three.

"I have no doubt…but I'm not here to fight you" Seppuku explained.

Guster smirked at this, "Of course not…you just want to bring me back to your Federation buddies!" he yelled accusingly.

Seppuku laughed at his choice of words, "I hardly call them friends…"

Earl looked at Chiya, concerned why she was the one getting the pressure rather than Seppuku. Antonio Guster had then stopped aiming at Seppuku, holding his gun down like a cane.

"Whatever, I know you aint' here for friendly reasons!" he shouted.

Seppuku laughed, "Actually we are, we want you to help us ensure that Goroh does not win this Grand Prix."

Antonio Guster grinned at the sound of this, "I like it, but I intend on doing more to him than just ruining his chances…"

Seppuku holstered his rifle, "Let's build on that…" he said open to negotiations.

Minutes later the four were inside of a huge tent Guster had established near his vehicle, Chiya felt uncomfortable, there were guns hung up everywhere like it was a collection of his.

"So do you like to go hunting?" Chiya asked uncomfortably with her eyes closed.

Guster looked around the tent, "Sometimes…only when I need to eat" he answered.

"What's your stance on the Bloody Chain gang?" Earl asked.

Guster laughed at the question, "Bunch of thugs, the fact that they roam the most popular city on Earth reveals a weakness in the Galactic Federation… Michael Chain is nothing short from a terrorist."

Seppuku was standing by the entrance to the tent, contemplating now that he had gotten Guster's support. Chiya was looking at Guster who was calmly sitting doing nothing, something about him was slightly strange compared to other notable criminals.

"Aside from all of the guns, you don't seem like someone who rode with Goroh" Chiya stated.

Guster sighed, "I would much rather become a Bounty Hunter or a Bodyguard, but the Federation wants me dead for my past crimes, so I don't feel that there is a point giving up my line of work…" he said calmly.

Chiya could tell that Guster was not the worst kind of person, just was cornered because of past decisions, and unfortunately for him he would not get off the hook likely in his lifetime.

"If I won the Grand Prix, I would probably just use the prize money to pay off most of my past crimes, they would still put me back in prison, but I would just break out again…" he explained. Chiya and Earl felt a bit odd, they were technically talking with a highly wanted criminal, but he simply did not seem to impose a threat to them, this may have only been because of Seppuku's agreement with him. Seppuku then walked back up to the three, not wanting to stay for long.

"So you understand that we are not trying to kill Goroh on the track right?" he asked.

Guster laughed, "You won't, but I will!"

Seppuku stared at him, but was in no position to debate with him, if Guster somehow did kill Goroh on the track, the fan base would be on his back not Seppuku's. "Fine."

Seppuku looked up at him, "Realize that after this race, we are all common enemies again…"

Guster grinned looking at him, "As long as you are not with the Federation, you are not in my list of enemies."

Seppuku nodded, turning away, "You don't have to worry about that…"

Seppuku exited the tent, Chiya and Earl momentarily following him, they had a short break, but now would have to return to the city, taking the long journey back. As soon as Chiya got outside she closed her eyes moaning again.

Seppuku grabbed his head annoyed at her, then turning towards Guster quickly, "I have a huge favor to ask from you…can you **please** just drive her back to the city!"

To be Continued!


	16. Lap 16

==LAP 16=

Chiya woke up in a conditioned room, Earl was sleeping in other part of the building, Seppuku had left to the track hours ago for final preparations. Chiya leaped into her usual boots and put on her stock hat, walking up to the window in the room. She pulled the curtain and looked outside, it was a bright day in Sand Ocean, and unfortunately was very hot. Chiya exhaled walking into the kitchen of the building, F-Zero racers were provided special apartments temporarily for the race, in this case Seppuku vouched for Chiya and Earl, labeling them as his _pit crew_.

Chiya looked inside of the refrigerator, it was completely full of alcohol and wine, nothing else. "What the Hell…" she muttered annoyed.

She looked around for actual food, but was finding nothing, the alcohol was the only thing that could be found. Chiya face palmed, realizing that she may have problems finding food until they went back to Mute City. Suddenly Earl walked into the kitchen as well, opening the refrigerator.

"Score!" he shouted at the sight of all the alcohol.

He threw a bottle into the air catching it with one hand, "Damn, too bad we're going to the race or else we could have partied."

"I don't drink" she growled.

Earl looked around the kitchen for food as well, not finding anything in the area, "Are you serious?"

Chiya nodded, "Do we just have to wait until we get home?"

Earl laughed at her question, "Yeah, right… I'm just going to go find a food market or something."

Chiya had realized that he was right, the city was not as futuristic as others, not even having a major market, so finding places selling food would not be the biggest challenge to tackle. Chiya's stomach began to grumble, she held her belly with a feeling of awkward.

"I see…alright let's go get some food then" Earl answered her stomach.

The two walked outside of the building, Chiya immediately half closed her eyes annoyed at the heat. Earl looked over at him, starting to think that something was just wrong with her medical wise.

"I know it's hot, but how are you not use to this by now?" Earl asked walking with her downtown.

Chiya had a troubled look on her face, as if she was hiding something painful, "I come from Mysteria, the planet never gets any light, and is always foggy, meaning you were always getting moist."

Earl grinned, "Mysteria isn't a bad place, it's a poor planet with a track that everyone hates, but it is a place that builds character."

Chiya let out a long sigh, "Frankly, I don't plan on going back there much, I much preferred living in that abandoned building in Mute City than in Mysteria…"

Earl looked at her wondering what could have happened there that was so bad, she would prefer living as a bum. His curiosity did not overwhelm him however, and he simply respected her privacy.

"There should be a fast food place near the business sector…" Earl said changing the subject.

Chiya and Earl passed through the busy area of the city, the city was especially packed since a race would be starting not long from now. People had souvenir stands all around the market area, the Samurai Goroh stand getting little publicity. Chiya noticed that there was not a Michael Chain stand anywhere, he must have truly been ejected from this years Grand Prix, which was understandable since he was knocked out every race so far totaling him with 0 points. There was a Seppuku stand, but no one was around it, not even the person running it was present, people simply did not seem to be interested in him.

Up ahead of the F-Zero stands were some stands offering food and drinks, Chiya and Earl hadn't eaten since they left the base a little more than a day ago. Earl walked up to one of the stands and placed his shoulder on the counter.

"What do you have?" he asked the vendor.

"The most popular is chicken legs for twenty credits."

Earl slammed his hand on the shoulder, "Twenty credits for a chicken leg? Are you kidding me?" he demanded.

The vendor shrugged, "Aint' gonna' get a better deal elsewhere, this is all they bring to this planet to sell."

Earl sighed heavily, putting forty credits down on the counter. Sand Ocean was a planet neither Earl or Chiya would ever plan on going back to. The man gave Earl two boxes of chicken, Earl gave one of them to Chiya. The vendor looked at Chiya not noticing her, who was standing closely behind Earl.

"You're pretty, I have a son who would be perfect for you…"

Chiya revealed a shy smile, "Well, I'm not usually-"

"Let's go Chiya, we need to get to the track" Earl said interrupting her.

Chiya turned around nodding, the two began walking towards the F-Zero stands again, the main group of people standing around the stands were clearly not from the planet, as they wore things that were much different compared to the locals of the city. A question Chiya had was whether the robes the locals had were worn because of the heat, or because they are poor. As always, the Captain Falcon stand was completely swarmed with people, being the main attraction, Mighty Gazelle had the next largest attraction. Once Chiya and Earl began to exit through the large group of people, people began to boo someone.

Chiya and Earl turned around wondering who was getting booed, it was then that a loud noise could be heard approaching them, and mere moments later people began jumping out of the way screaming. Chiya and Earl stepped to the side, the _Blood Hawk_ had drove right through the crowd, luckily everyone leaped out of the way before he could run anyone over. Chiya caught the slightest glimpse of Blood Falcon in the vehicle as he darted by, he was grinning when he drove by, one of the most signature things about him. Chiya grit her teeth angrily at the sight of his reckless driving, he obviously did not care for the safety of others in the road. The _Blood Hawk_ continued driving towards the race track, at this point in time Chiya had no personal grudge against Blood Falcon, mostly concentrating on giving Samurai Goroh what he has coming.

Later on Chiya and Earl arrived at the track, like the ones in Mute City, there were personal booths for F-Zero racers and their invited guests. Chiya was disappointed to see that the booths were still outside, luckily however, these booths had roofs which would provide her and Earl with shade. The two entered their booth, and was surprised to see someone standing in their booth. It was Lieutenant Seppuku, who for reasons unknown was not preparing for the race that would start in about fifteen minutes.

"Seppuku, you should be preparing for the race, they announce the racers in just a little bit" Earl stated.

Seppuku looked down at the track, "I got in Twentieth place last time, so I'm starting nearly last anyways."

The rules had been switched around a few years ago, where racers are introduced depending on what place they took, in this case it was changed so that the top ranking racers were introduced first, going down the list. This change was made simply because it created more drama when top ranking racers would get out of their vehicles and have discussions, such as Captain Falcon and Blood Falcon meeting with each other.

Chiya and Earl stood looking at Seppuku, something was on his mind as he simply looked down at the track motionless. Earl was beginning to feel awkward by the day, not only was Seppuku mysterious, but even Chiya was slowly revealing that she had a past of mystery as well, Earl was the only person in the group who had nothing to hide. It was then that footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs to the booth, Chiya turned around quickly, but was sent into a state of shock at who it was. Samurai Goroh came walking up the stairs grinning.

"Goroh!" Chiya yelled angrily.

Earl turned around frightened by the Samurai who had nearly taken his life a day ago. Goroh began to chuckle as he came to a stop on top of the stairs, he looked at Earl nodding his head.

"So you survived" he muttered revealing a cheesy smile.

Seppuku spun around quickly, his coat and scarf waving in the air, "You must be a kamikaze pilot, showing your face around me after what you pulled…is suicide" he said grinning.

Goroh chuckled and grabbed out his katana, and Seppuku pulled out his rifle, they were at a standoff. "You really think a gun will stop me? I am a master swordsman, if you screw up on your first shot, your head will be mine!" Goroh shouted.

Seppuku smirked at his threat, "You're all talk…"

The two were ready to begin killing each other, Chiya wanted revenge on Goroh, but this was going to clearly be a bloody mess. She began to tremble looking at the two back and forth, both determined to slaughter the other.

Earl leaped up between the two with a book, "Not so fast!" he shouted.

He began looking through pages of the book, stopping somewhere in the middle, "The rules of F-Zero state that violence in an F-Zero race is against the law, excluding violence done on the track via F-Zero machines, by breaking this rule you apply for immediate termination by execution!" he shouted.

Goroh raised an eyebrow at Earl, Seppuku growled at him, "Earl…get out of-" Seppuku then noticed a red dot above Goroh's head, before Goroh looked at Seppuku's forehead as well. Chiya gasped and looked around, close observations revealed multiple F-Zero committee snipers watching the two, ready to kill them as soon as they break this rule.

Goroh chuckled, calmly putting his katana away, "We can deal with each other on the track, like gentlemen…"

Seppuku holstered his rifle, clapping his hands together, "Wouldn't have it any other way…"

Goroh nodded, simply turning and walking away, he stopped and looked back at Earl before he exited through the door. "By the way, thanks for locking all of my men in the Cargo Bay, that did keep me busy for the day…"

Earl rubbed his head with his eyes shut, "Yep."

Goroh continued through the door, now officially out of the room. Chiya exhaled in relief, Earl looked at Seppuku quickly, "Be more careful! A few more seconds and you both would have been dead."

Seppuku crossed his arms, looking down at him, "Whatever, I'm going to head off now, Goroh wont see this secret alliance coming…"

Seppuku exited the booth, preparing for the big race, one thing Seppuku could look forward to was that Michael Chain was absent, meaning that was one less rival to deal with.

Minutes later the fans were all stacked up on the stands, the booth ahead of Chiya and Earl belonged to Michael Chain, but no one was there this time. Chiya hadn't complained about the heat in awhile, considering she was in one of the coolest areas in the entire track, she was in no position to further complain. Chiya was sitting with Earl in the back, not watching the race in person, but from the screen inside of the booth.

"The F-Zero committee would like to now thank all for coming to the third race of the annual grand prix, at this time we will introduce the racers!" the announcer yelled.

Everyone began to cheer as the race was about to begin, Seppuku would be the twentieth person introduced this time.

"The Samurai Warrior and leader of a notorious clan of pirates, Samurai Goroh!"

The _Fire Stingray_ drove up to the starting line, but Goroh did not bother open his cockpit for anything, he understood that many people were offended at his recent killing of several security officers.

"Assassin and top Hitman, Pico!"

The _Wild Goose_ drove up near the _Fire Stingray_, Pico was a green alien, with similarities to a turtle.

Chiya sighed, "Why do we always need to introduce every single racer?" she asked Earl.

"It's pretty unnecessary, but it allows the racers who ranked higher to get out and do some pre-race talking with other racers, the fans eat that stuff up."

Later on nearly all of the racers had been introduce, Seppuku looked at the _Green Panther_, Seppuku and Antonio Guster nodded at each other. He then looked at the _Golden Fox_, nodding at Dr. Stewart, who returned him a thumbs up. Mighty Gazelle was sitting to far up ahead for Seppuku to make eye contact with, the assumption was that the plan was still in motion, and that keeping Goroh from succeeding was critical. Seppuku secretly supported killing Goroh, but only Antonio Guster had the courage to try that on the track, Seppuku was thinking about the safety of himself, and even Chiya and Earl to some extent. One thing Seppuku was barely focusing on, was how he could win the race for himself.

"At this time all racers may start their engines!" the announcer shouted.

There were only a total of 29 racers now that Michael Chain dropped out of the Grand Prix, Michael Chain would not have done this even with his odds of winning, but he simply did not have a secondary competition made vehicle to race with.

Three. Two. One. Go. All the racers immediately began driving past each other, Goroh immediately starting off in first. Seppuku wasted no time at all trying to catch Goroh, it had only been about ten seconds since the race started and he had already angrily maneuvered around several racers trying to catch him. The _Blue Falcon_ was behind the _Fire Stingray_, but as always was fighting an endless war with the _Blood Hawk_. Antonio Guster wrestled with Bio Rex, trying to move up the track, he was stuck in fifteenth place. The _Golden Fox_ was having little trouble moving up the track, making every turn perfectly, Dr. Stewart was trying to regroup with Seppuku rather than go for Goroh. The _Red Gazelle _flew up to the side of the _Red Dove_, both watching each others backs.

Captain Falcon and Blood Falcon was driving side by side, trying to knock each other out. The racers came to a large jump in the track where they would need to glide down to the other section of the track, the two machines landed, the _Blue Falcon_ passing the _Fire Stingray_. Blood Falcon drove to the side of the _Fire Stingray_ and rammed it, sending it back into third place. Seppuku and Mighty Gazelle flew up the track together, both roughly neck and neck for sixth place. Dr. Stewart shortly joined them, covering Seppuku's left flank.

"It seems that the Red Dove has been boxed in! Will Dr. Stewart grasp the opportunity to take Lieutenant Seppuku out?" one of the announcers asked his co-announcer.

"I don't know, it would almost appear that those three are on friendly terms, they appear to be driving together on purpose" he responded.

Chiya held her chin watching the screen that was showing Captain Falcon, who was currently leading the race. "Samurai Goroh seems to be keeping his position pretty well."

Earl nodded in agreement, "Yeah, but once they are authorized boost power, Seppuku and his team will make their move…"

The _Blue Falcon_ was still clashing with the _Blood Hawk_, Blood Falcon was managing to push Captain Falcon closer to the wall as they went, the finish line was just up ahead however, if he got there in time he would be authorized to use boost power and escape from Blood Falcon. Captain Falcon tried to push it, but simply was out of time, he hit the brakes quickly letting the _Blood Hawk_ pass him. Goroh also managed to pass Captain Falcon, leaving him in third. Blood Falcon was laughing in joy at Captain Falcon's retreat.

The racers now all had boost power, making the race more heated up. Captain Falcon did not hesitate to catch up to Goroh, using whatever energy was necessary to gain more track, Blood Falcon calmly continued racing without pressure. Seppuku, Dr. Stewart, and Mighty Gazelle all began boosting up the track, easily pushing their way up to the top three racers.

"Yep! You called it, there indeed appears to be a triple alliance on the track!" the announcer yelled.

"The last time we saw this, was when Samurai Goroh, Baba, and Michael Chain worked together in a race" the other announcer stated.

Captain Falcon looked behind him, seeing that the three were coming up on him fast. Falcon grinned looking at the _Red Dove_, who was clearly the pack leader. The _Blue Falcon_ shifted over to the side of the track, allowing the three to pass. The _Blue Falcon_ was suddenly passed by the _Green Panther_ who was using an extreme amount of boost power to catch up to the three. Seppuku looked back and could tell that Guster was nearly exhausted on energy, so he opened up the line letting the _Green Panther _in the middle, Seppuku then covering him from behind.

"A quadruple alliance! A quadruple alliance!" the announcer shouted.

Chiya and Earl gave a hi-five at the sight of all four racers working together perfectly. The question now was, what would happen to Goroh once they caught him, Guster wanted to kill him, the rest merely planned to ruin his chances of winning. Samurai Goroh looked in back of him shocked, the first thing he noticed was that Antonio Guster and Seppuku were working together, and even more surprising, they were working with Dr. Stewart, someone in the Federation. Goroh gritted his teeth, realizing that he was in trouble. Fortunately for Goroh, something very rare happened, the _Blood Hawk_ intentionally slowed down, matching the _Fire Stingray_'s speed. Blood Falcon had suddenly decided to work with Samurai Goroh.

Everyone in the crowd was focused on the events happening in the front of the race, barely noticing the other twenty-one racers behind them. Chiya gasped at the sight of the _Blood Hawk_ driving alongside the _Fire Stingray_. Earl moaned nervously looking at the odds they had.

"Blood Falcon is an exact replica of Captain Falcon, Goroh is a legendary pilot, he is chewing on a lot here…" Earl said biting his finger in fear.

Chiya never paid attention to Blood Falcon, but the words _exact replica_ made her realize just how bad of a situation he was in.

One of the announcers backed away from his chair, being pulled by an F-Zero committee member. "This is the race that is going to bring in the cash! Make this a race to be remembered…" he said handing him a card.

The announcer smirked, grabbing the card out of his hand. The card he gave him was a last minute event maker for the sole purpose of adding drama onto the track. He opened up a panel on the table, revealing a computer in which he put the card into.

"The F-Zero committee has decided that this race could use a little more pressure!" the announcer yelled pressing a button on the computer.

Suddenly far out into the track, several panels flipped over revealing landmines. The crowd began to cheer as they saw the landmines set out on the track, this would add obstacles for the racers, and especially for Seppuku as he had a mission to complete. Seppuku gasped as he had realized that the F-Zero committee was intentionally complicating things.

"That isn't fair!" Chiya yelled.

Earl shook his head negatively, "That's how the game works I'm afraid, they now realize that this is no ordinary race, so they are going to push the envelope with this one…"

The four racers were gaining on Blood Falcon and Samurai Goroh, Blood Falcon chuckling as he saw the racers approaching. The _Blue Falcon_ was behind the four, now trying to catch up again to take care of Blood Falcon. The battle would begin as soon as they made the jump, after which all of the vehicles will have scattered upon landing, making the perfect opportunity for an offensive. Seppuku rubbed his head, quickly approaching the jump, Antonio Guster was still low on energy, a restoration pad would be coming up shortly after the jump, all a racer needed to do at a restoration pad was drive through it. The _Fire Stingray _and _Blood Hawk_ glided into the air at the jump, the rest following them quickly. Within seconds, all four racers were separated, along with Goroh and Blood Falcon. Seppuku over jumped it and landed right in front of everybody in first, Dr. Stewart and Mighty Gazelle landed right next to the _Fire Stingray_, immediately attacking it. The _Blood Hawk _dashed over to the _Red Gazelle_ beating it's side sending it spinning temporarily. The _Golden Fox_ rammed the _Fire Stingray_ into the _Blood Hawk_, sending both to the side of the track. The _Red Dove_ quickly hit the brakes making Goroh crash right into him. Blood Falcon had managed to squeeze out of the mess and drove up to the side of Seppuku, ramming into him.

Earl cringed looking at the _Red Dove_ taking such a hit, "That's going to keep me busy in the garage…" he muttered.

Chiya sat with her arms crossed, there was no easy way of telling who was winning the battle. She was focusing on Captain Falcon mostly, wondering why he isn't taking a side.

Jody Summer had caught up to the group, merely focusing on the race. Blood Falcon decided to leave Goroh to fend for himself and take out the _White Cat_. As the _Blood Hawk _quickly pursued her, Captain Falcon boosted through the mess of racers, trying to stop Blood Falcon. Samurai Goroh boosted out of the group of racers, fleeing from the four trying to stop him. He quickly took fourth place, trying to catch up to Captain Falcon.

"You can tell that the Fire Stingray has taken quite a toll!" the announcer yelled.

"Let's see what happens when the racers reach the landmines…" the other muttered.

Blood Falcon, Captain Falcon, and Jody Summer all maneuvered the landmines, the four were closing in on Goroh once again. A distraught Goroh was looking for any opportunity to escape. He then looked in front of him, noticing the landmines just on time. The other four were caught off guard as well, all panicking once they entered the mine field, the cars all broke apart from each other leaving little room for another to navigate around the mines. The _Green Panther_ drove in front of the _Red Gazelle_, leaving no room to run, the _Red Gazelle _hit a landmine leaving a large explosion. Mighty Gazelle began swirling out of control eventually running straight into a wall, flipping over.

The crowd all began to start yelling as soon as he wiped out, as Mighty Gazelle was a fan favorite.

Seppuku looked back at the disabled _Red Gazelle_, "Dammit!" he yelled angrily.

The racers had reached the finish line, bringing them to their final lap. Blood Falcon had bashed into Jody Summer, propelling her far into the back. Goroh and the remaining three easily passed the _White Cat_, Jody Summer had quickly began her comeback however. Antonio Guster and Seppuku boosted ahead, getting on both sides of Goroh, Dr. Stewart got behind Goroh, leaving no room for him to retreat, the _Fire Stingray _than boosted out of the box before he was attacked, but Guster and Seppuku were persistent and boosted right after him. The _Blue Falcon _and _Blood Hawk_ had began to clash vehicles, trying to push each other to the side, this was slowing them down greatly. Goroh had then crashed right into the two racers, sending both Falcons spinning. Goroh had once again achieved the lead, Seppuku and Guster passing the Falcons in pursuit of Goroh. They made the large jump into the air, Goroh, Seppuku, and Guster all landing right next to each other. Guster had boosted ahead to the restoration area again, regaining his energy. Seppuku and Goroh clashed with each other, Dr. Stewart was basically done, as he fell back with the rest of the racers.

"I'm not sure if he can pull this off Earl…" Chiya said beginning to doubt Seppuku.

Earl smirked, "The Fire Stingray is smashed up right now, all they need to do is finish him off with one more huge blow."

The _Green Panther_ returned to Seppuku, trying to nail Goroh, the part that made this hard was that they all had boost power. Seppuku looked over at Guster, trying to think of a way to finish Goroh off. If they did not choose their move perfectly, Goroh might boost ahead and keep the lead up until the end. Seppuku decided the best option would be to push him right into the mine field, then try fighting him. The _Blue Falcon _and _Blood Hawk_ were behind the three racers, but did not seem to care about the race at this point. Seppuku could see the minefield up ahead, the finish line was only a bit away past this, meaning he had to nail Goroh soon. Goroh was still gritting his teeth, beginning to panic, Antonio Guster looked at the _Fire Stingray_ fiercely. The three were just about to enter the minefield, when suddenly the _Green Panther _and _Fire Stingray_ began to clash with each other, trying to push each other to their doom.

"Dammit Guster!" Seppuku shouted aloud to himself.

It was then that everything had gone perfectly, Guster and Goroh had both ran into the same landmine, sending both of them to a complete stop. Seppuku nodded grinning at the explosion, then continued to boost to the finish line alone. The _Blue Falcon_ and _Blood Hawk_ came down the track together, finishing with Seppuku. The race had ended, and Lieutenant Seppuku took first place, Captain Falcon taking second, Blood Falcon third, Jody Summer fourth.

"Seppuku takes home the gold!" the announcer shouted.

Chiya and Earl cheered seeing a perfect race for them, Seppuku won, and Goroh was disqualified from that race, earning absolutely no points at all.

Samurai Goroh and Antonio Guster came walking out of their destroyed vehicles looking at each other. Both of them gritted their teeth, walking towards each other despite the other twenty-some vehicles rushing past them. Guster stood motionless, looking into Goroh's eyes and vice-versa. The _Crazy Bear_, driven by Dr. Clash, drove into a mine that was separating the two, leaving a screen of smoke dividing the two from each others sights. Guster ran through the smoke, looking for Goroh, but he had disappeared.

"I can't believe he did it!" Chiya said excitedly.

"Sweet redemption, and a nice, cold, victory…" Earl responded.

Seppuku minutes later entered the booth, walking victoriously up the stairs looking at Chiya and Earl. He was grinning, as he came to the top standing still, "There, mission accomplished…"

Dr. Stewart, Mighty Gazelle, and Jody Summer were standing behind him, Jody was not a part of the operation, but was partners with Dr. Stewart. Chiya was looking at the group of racers, Mighty Gazelle was the only one that didn't rank highly, as he was disqualified.

Chiya nodded smiling, "Where's Goroh?"

Seppuku crossed his arms, "Guster and him were having a standoff last I saw, we don't have to worry about him winning the Grand Prix anymore though…"

Chiya let out a happy laugh, looking at Earl, "Good."

Jody Summer had gotten off a communicator, she turned around nervously to the group. "The Bloody Chain and Red Star have officially started up the Gang War again…" she announced.

Everyone except Seppuku and Mighty Gazelle gasped at her news. Chiya with a surprised expression held her cheek, "But how did they recover so fast?"

"No clue, but several gun fights in the Lower City erupted this afternoon…" Jody answered.

She held her face angrily, "We just don't have the manpower to send down help right now…" she muttered angrily.

Seppuku revealed a cheesy smile, "That's a shame…"

Jody Summer looked at him, closing her eyes growling, "Just do it…" she muttered to him.

Seppuku still smiling got closer to her, "What? Do what? I was told that I could not interfere, or I would be arrested…"

Jody Summer was clearly becoming pestered by Seppuku, he knew what she was implying, but wanted to hear it from her mouth. "Fine…You obviously have methods of work that we do not have… feel free to deal with this yourself if you wish…" she said cringing.

Seppuku began to chuckle, "Well well well… look who finally came crawling bac-"

Jody angrily slammed her hand against the wall, "Just shut up and do it!"

Hours later, Goroh was calmly drinking tea inside of his ship, he was with his new appointed pirate Captain. They were sitting around a short table, Goroh quietly enjoying his drink.

"So you think the Federation set that alliance up?" the Captain asked him.

Goroh took a sip from his tea, setting it back down, calmly looking down at his hand. "Of course not, this was all Lieutenant Seppuku's doing…" he said having figured it out.

The captain raised an eyebrow, "Seppuku has a grudge against you?"

Goroh began to chuckle, "Of course he doesn't…he never had a grudge against me before…"

The Captain looked at him very confused, "Then… why would he be the one starting this alliance?"

Goroh picked looked up at him, "Seppuku and I have met before, we never saw eye to eye, but I know he never cared about my crime as a pirate…"

The Captain continued looking at him, waiting for his answer.

Goroh let out a cheesy smile, "It wasn't my attempt at killing his engineer that triggered this alliance, it's the girl." he answered.

"The girl?"

Goroh sipped his tea again, setting it back down, "Seppuku has finally revealed a weak spot, sympathy; for that girl, she was the one who appeared most disturbed by me striking the engineer…"

Goroh stood up, thinking back to the moment where he was holding Earl Bendek. "Seppuku felt sympathy for the girls pain, so he wanted to get vengeance for her, that's all there is to it."

The Captain grinned at him, "So are you planning on getting revenge?"

Goroh nodded affirmatively, "Yep, but this time… I have a new target…" he muttered, remembering Chiya Flower's face.

To be Continued!


	17. Lap 17

==LAP 17=

The trip back to Earth went completely as planned, the transport had not run into any problems on the way back. As soon as the transport returned to Mute City, Seppuku drove the very battered _Red Dove_ back to the base, leaving Chiya and Earl to the normal vehicle Earl had parked before they entered the ship. Neither of the two planned on doing anything in town however, and both insisted on just going back to the base, Chiya was exhausted from the past days: fighting pirates, walking through a desert, fighting a giant serpent, being confronted by Goroh again, and finally hearing that the Gang War had resumed. Earl had been stabbed by Samurai Goroh in anger, miraculously he survived thanks to Dr. Stewart and his advanced skills in medicine. Seppuku had finally gotten permission from Jody Summer to resume work on Red Star and the Bloody Chain, however the three spent the first day home doing nothing, as they all needed a break.

It was past midnight, and for once the base was not silent at all. Japanese music could be heard from all over the base, Earl was trying to sleep but continued to cringe at the music that was not coming to an end. Earl grabbed his pillow and slammed it around his head angrily, trying to drum out the loud music.

Seppuku was working in his office, looking on his computer at a map of the city, he was trying to locate various ways to ambush the Red Star main headquarters and kill Brock Blaskovitz. The music could be heard from inside of his office as well, Seppuku was working, with his hand grasping his head roughly in frustration. Seppuku was trying to concentrate but was not use to there being any noise at all in the base. Seppuku was angrily writing information about the buildings surrounding the Red Star Headquarters, writing which would be a better area to pick off gangsters from. His hand began to tremble angrily while writing, when he somehow snapped the pen in half due to the excessive force he used.

"Dammit all!" Seppuku screamed grabbing his rifle.

Chiya was laying in bed on her belly, she was kicking her legs back and forth in the air, happily drawing pictures inside of a blank book she had found. The loud music was coming from a music player she had bought days ago when she was in the Upper City, she did not realize that Seppuku and Earl were bothered by it. She slowly continued drawing, smiling, when suddenly Seppuku kicked open her door throwing his rifle into his arms. Chiya's eyes became wide and she ducked under her blankets almost immediately as Seppuku fired his rifle three times. She was trembling greatly, slowly lifting up her head, she saw that he had completely destroyed the music player.

Seppuku holstered his rifle and began to walk out the door, Chiya launched up onto her knees, "Hey what gives? you could have killed me!" she yelled at Seppuku.

Seppuku slowly closed the door, "Goodnight."

Chiya continued to remain still on her knees jaw dropped, she looked back at her music player, which was steaming and looked as if an anvil was thrown into it. Moments later Earl kicked open the door as well.

"What's going on!?" he yelled holding a handgun.

Chiya was still trembling, Earl looked at the now destroyed music player, he then lowered his weapon. "Oh, I see…alright then goodnight…" Earl said walking back out.

A distraught Chiya continued to sit on her bed, completely traumatized by what had just happened.

The following day Chiya had decided to finally try out the shooting range again, a recurring thought she always had was whether she would ever be granted a new weapon. Seppuku had his military-grade rifle, which was just a high-tech sniper without the scope. Earl very rarely had a weapon with him, but clearly had a similar handgun when he barged into her room. It didn't seem like Chiya needed a better weapon, but clearly when it came to challenges like the Bloody Chain or Red Star, some extra firepower was necessary.

Chiya stomped on a trigger on the ground, and several human shaped targets then sprung up in front of her. She pulled out her handgun and began firing, only moments into firing she looked at her handgun, thinking. She then holstered it again, this time trying to throw it into the air, catching it. She holstered it again, discovering different stylish ways of equipping a gun. Minutes later she was trying to spin it in midair, then catch it perfectly, she was having little luck perfecting this but was still trying. She held the gun with her tongue out thinking.

"That's a good way to shoot yourself" Seppuku said suddenly standing behind her.

Chiya held her gun normally, startled by his sudden appearance, "Sorry, I thought it would be cool if I had my own little weapon fashion…"

Seppuku raised an eyebrow at her, "_Cool_? Yes, showing off your talent will be helpful when you have five of Blaskovitz's goons about to pummel you to death…" he said sarcastically.

Chiya rolled her eyes, brushing off Seppuku's negative attitude, "You're here for?" she asked.

Seppuku chuckled, "I was ecstatic to see that you voluntarily came to shoot, before I realized you were just playing around."

_God, he acts like a strict father…_ Chiya thought to herself resuming fire on the targets. Seppuku crossed his arms watching her fire, still not completely pleased with her accuracy, but better than before. This time Chiya had not missed any of the targets, but still had made no accurate shots in the vital areas.

"Earl is equipping your machine with the reactor drive you found" Seppuku announced watching her.

Chiya spun around excited holstering her weapon, "Really? I'm going to go h-"

Seppuku quickly grabbed both her shoulders keeping her still, "No, keep shooting, he is fine on his own."

Chiya stood still once let go of, slowly turning back to the range, "Oh, okay."

She pulled her handgun out normally and resumed shooting at the targets, Seppuku stood behind her watching closely, making her feel nervous. Chiya still had not missed any of her targets, but was not making very precise hits. Seppuku began to shake his head negatively as he watched, momentarily walking towards the door.

"Come to my office, there is work to be done."

Chiya turned around surprised, holstering her weapon and continuing out the door with him. The truth was that Chiya rarely needed to use her gun anyways, the pirate attack was the first time she used it in a fight, other times were against defenseless foes. The two walked past the garage door, Chiya looked at it excited, once the reactor was installed, her F-Zero machine would be capable of being driven, the booster and combat module was not something that was needed right away.

Moments later, Seppuku was sitting in his chair, Chiya in front of his desk. Seppuku pulled up a map on the monitor that was on one of the walls.

"I've noticed that both Red Star and Bloody Chain is constantly stopping at this alleyway, I'm led to believe that there is something of interest here" Seppuku explained pointing at the alley.

Chiya noticed that the alley was not fully displayed on the map, only showing the entrance path. "Is there a roof above that alley, or could the mapmaker not get in there?" she asked.

Seppuku shrugged not knowing, "All I know is that gang vehicles stop there consistently, meaning there is something there both sides are interested in."

Chiya rubbed her chin, trying to guess what was in the alley that would bring both gangs together. Seppuku turned his head back at her, "I should mention, this is also connected to the street where the most gang violence occurs."

_So it's not a place for negotiations then…_ she thought trying to solve the puzzle.

"Enough wondering though, here is where you come in…"

Chiya looked over at him frightened, "You mean _we_?"

Seppuku shook his head negatively, "No, I think you should do this one alone."

Chiya raised an eyebrow surprised, Seppuku crossed his arms looking at her, "I want you to simply enter the alley, see what's there, then come right back, simple."

_Except for the fact that gangsters roam the streets…_ she added in her mind. Chiya narrowed her eyes at him, "You just want me to get captured by the Bloody Chain so we will know where their base is…" she said accusingly.

Seppuku laughed at her, "I like the way you think, however I already know where their base is."

Chiya blew her hair up in the air, "I see…"

Seppuku threw her a round device, she caught it immediately examining it. "If you get in a desperate situation, just click the device, it will immediately alert me and say where to find you."

Chiya nodded her head, "Alright fine, but won't it look odd if I walk in, and there are powerful men standing there?"

Seppuku chuckled, "You have a gun."

Chiya grinned with her eyes closed nervously, "Oh, well that solves everything then…" she muttered sarcastically.

Chiya not much later walked down the streets of Mute City, she was to find the alley and simply walk in, hoping it was nothing that would endanger her. Chiya planned on going to the café after the mission, depending on what time it was. Chiya had wanted to help Earl with the machine, but Chiya soon realized that her presence would probably just be a distraction since she knew little about that kind of engineering. Chiya was tapping her lip while walking, wondering how her life would change with an F-Zero machine. One thing of concern was that Seppuku for reasons unknown, seemed to condemn the idea of her joining the Grand Prix when she first brought it up. This could have been for many reasons though, whether Seppuku feared that she could beat him in the Grand Prix, or merely that he is concerned for her safety.

Chiya turned around the corner of a building, looking down the long street, no vehicles were in sight, but she could not see the alley from her angle. She slowly proceeded around the building, moving down the sidewalk carefully. The location of the alley was suppose to be well hidden, just barely wide enough to fit through. She walked down the long street, looking side to side for the alley. The more she walked, the more concerned she became, there were craters from explosions in the middle of the street, and a lot of damage to the sidewalks. She constantly found herself putting her hand on the device Seppuku gave her, but was resisting the urge to press it. She needed to only press it if all possibilities of escape were at loss. It was then that her eyes grew much larger, her pupil shaking, several sounds were coming from behind her. She grabbed her handgun, walking backwards, still trying to find the alley. It was then that several of Michael Chain's goons came driving down the street. Chiya gritted her teeth preparing for the fight of her life, as they were coming towards her, something unusual happened.

Several members of Red Star suddenly appeared on the roofs of buildings, holding grenade launchers. Chiya began to tremble at the sight of this, they all began firing grenades onto the ground, hitting the _Wild Boar_ looking machines. Several vehicles began to wipe out spinning, suddenly many Bloody Chain gangsters got out of their vehicles holding assault rifles and returned fire. Chiya crouched in amazement at how in seconds, a firefight emerged. It did not appear that any of them had spotted Chiya yet, so she carefully proceeded down the street with quick pace. The Bloody Chain were using their vehicles as cover against the Red Star. Chiya had noticed a slight opening between two buildings, she had found the alley. Without thinking, she charged across the street towards it, she could tell that she was being fired at by Red Star because of the constant noises hitting the ground around her. She quickly threw herself at the wall of a building, out of Red Star's sight, but now the Bloody Chain could see her. She wasted no more time and leaped into the alley.

She gritted her teeth in frustration and grabbed the device wanting to call Seppuku, no matter what, she was hesitating to do it. She exhaled and put it away, not bothering Seppuku at all. She continued down the alley, turning around every few seconds to ensure that she was not being followed. The alley eventually led to a very primitive looking door, made of iron or steel. She looked behind her seeing nothing, then looked at the door. She wiped her forehead, presuming she would meet gunfire as soon as she entered. _All he said to do was get a glimpse of what this is…_ she reminded herself. She grabbed the doorknob and slowly opened it, to her surprise there was some music playing inside, and the smell of sawdust. She walked inside holding her gun up, the lights were on in the room, so someone was here. She walked forward, grinding her teeth nervously, she then entered the main section of the building, it appeared to be some kind of store.

"You!" someone yelled charging at Chiya.

She jolted up in surprise aiming her gun at the approaching man, she then cocked her gun with an angry expression, it was Brock Blaskovitz. Brock immediately pulled out two assault rifles in retaliation, just as Chiya was about to pull the trigger, she noticed that automated machine gun turrets were aiming at the two. Chiya looked at the turrets, suddenly shocked being clearly outgunned.

"Choose your next card wisely…" the store owner said from behind a counter with bulletproof glass.

Chiya turned her eyes towards the counter, the man had his finger on some kind of controller, likely connected to all of the turrets. "Violence is not allowed in here…" the owner stated.

Brock chuckled, holstering both of his assault rifles. Chiya holstered her pistol looking into Brock's eyes angrily.

"Chiya Flower…" Brock greeted with an intense stare.

"Brock Blackwater…" Chiya responded looking angered.

Brock rubbed his short Mohawk, "Blaskovitz" he corrected.

Chiya pointed at the door in back of her, "I think your men are fighting Bloody Chain out there."

Brock shrugged, "It happens, both of us fight for control of the Black Market" he stated.

Chiya silently gasped, looking around the store: Drugs, Weapons, Black Shadow fan wear, the store was selling all illegal things. The alley led to a secret Black Market, this must be where the gangs got their powerful equipment.

Brock put his abnormally large hand on Chiya's shoulder, "I am still leaving a position open in Red Star if you wish to join."

Chiya swatted his hand, "Even after I sabotaged all of your bikes?"

Brock chuckled, "I clearly underestimated you at first, I now realize that you would make an excellent addition to the team…"

Chiya laughed at his proposal, finding it humorous. Brock raised an eyebrow with a cheesy smile, "Joining has its perks, we can get you muscles, money, an F-Zero machine, and all the men you require."

Chiya raised an eyebrow, then closing her bike, "By, _all the men you require_, I assume you mean a boyfriend, and I'm not looking."

Brock grunted, "Fine, remain with your little play group" he said referring to Seppuku and Earl.

Brock began to walk away from Chiya, stopping at the door, "You may have gotten a good start on my Union…but the Red Tide is upon you and the Bloody Chain…"

Chiya did not understand his metaphor, simply waiting for him to leave. Brock Blaskovitz had left the Black Market, leaving Chiya to her investigation. She was observing all of the shelves, assault rifles, rocket launchers, antique pistols. She picked up a pistol from the shelf, examining it's tiny barrel.

"That is a P08 Luger, an ancient weapon wielded by a nation of great power back when Earth was divided into several parts" the owner stated.

Chiya carefully placed it back on the shelf, not wanting to wreck it, she pulled out another pistol carefully, "What about this one?"

He rubbed his chin, "That is a K11 OakBreech, that was made shortly after the continents of North and South America merged into one union, used universally by police forces."

Chiya nodded, putting that back as well, the owner raised an eyebrow at her. "You don't look like a criminal…" he was holding the turret controller behind his back, his finger preparing to press the button.

"You're not, friends with the Galactic Federation are you?" he asked suspiciously. His finger was tapping the tip of the button, waiting for her response.

Chiya looked at him, "The Federation? I don't much care for them…" she said somewhat lying.

The owner put his finger off of the button, "Good…"

Chiya walked over to a large glass container, she looked inside and saw multiple items, all with price tags. "What are these?" she asked.

The owner dashed over to the glass, "These, are weapon attachments."

Chiya nodded, looking down at her sidearm, she then realized that she did still have quite a lot of cash left over. She pulled up her handgun, handing it to the owner, "Anything that would fit on this?" she asked.

The owner chuckled looking at the pistol, "Nice gun, you'll be happy to know that this was designed to fit most weapon attachments."

She let out a slight smile, looking at all of the weapon attachments, she saw several things for a pistol, such as a silencer, flashlight, mini-grenade launcher, and other useful items. The owner threw her a small attachment that had a lightning bolt emblem on the side.

"Perhaps you would be interested in this?" he asked.

Chiya examined it, it took her a few moments to realize that it was a taser. She held her chin thinking about it, _This would come in handy…_ she thought.

"This can attach to my handgun?" she asked.

The owner nodded, putting it on for her, the attachment slipped right under the barrel of her gun. "It can be simply recharged by placing it on a restoration pad."

Chiya grinned, thinking of all the situations she could get out of with a taser. "How much?" she asked.

"I'm thinking…maybe five-hundred credits?" he asked.

Chiya's eyes widened, "Umm…how about four-hundred…"

He tapped his chin, "No, I'm thinking four-fifty-hundred…"

Chiya looked up at another object in the glass, smiling at it, "How about three-hundred for this, and I will pay whatever _that _item costs exactly…"

The owner looked up at the item, nodding in agreement, "Won't pass down that offer…" he said accepting.

Later that day, Chiya had returned to the base alive, when she walked out of the Black Market, all of the gang members had dispersed. Chiya had decided not to go to the Upper City today, as she was eager to return to Seppuku with her report. She practically had no money left after buying from the Black Market, the more she thought about it however, the more she felt somewhat like an idiot. Without thinking, she went spending money on illegal items, as if she had some kind of special privilege. It was unlikely that she would get in trouble from Seppuku for doing this, but she would probably get a lecture from him.

"What did you find?" Seppuku asked.

Chiya was standing still holding a fairly long box, "Well first, I got caught up between a gang fight, but made it to the alley unharmed."

Earl was standing to the side of Seppuku's desk, listening in to her story.

"I then learned that the alley contained a special market selling illegal items, a Black Market."

Seppuku grinned, "I should have known…"

"I was approached by Brock Blaskovitz wh-"

"-and you killed him?" Seppuku immediately asked.

Chiya exhaled, "Before we began shooting each other, we were both halted by turret defenses, forcing us to stop…this is why both Red Star and the Bloody Chain come out of that place without killing each other."

Chiya had then pulled out her handgun, with the taser attached to it. Earl looked at her, wondering if she was going crazy suddenly, Seppuku raised an eyebrow at the handgun. "You modified it?"

Chiya hesitantly nodded, "I purchased a taser attachment."

Seppuku clenched his fist, looking at her angrily, "That was a foolish th-"

He then stopped, tapping his fingers on his desk thinking, "No…that was good actually, take from it before it is shut down."

Chiya put the box she was holding in front of him, "I also purchased this for your rifle, it was really expensive so I propose that you use it."

Seppuku grabbed his signature un-scoped sniper rifle, looking inside of the box. He pulled out a very long metal barrel, examining it. "This thing is long, what is it?"

Chiya bowed to him, "A silencer, designed for any kind of military grade sniper, the barrel is long, but completely covers the loud bang your rifle makes, the special part of this is that it does not affect the weapons accuracy."

Seppuku grinned, screwing the long silencer onto his rifle, he then stood up throwing his rifle into his hands, taking a shot at a plant in his room. The sound of his weapon was still loud, but would have been impossible to hear from any other part of the base. The plant's jar fell to pieces, the soil flowing off the table onto the ground.

"Perfect."

Chiya smiled happy to see Seppuku pleased with the gift, "This is a much better gift than that pink rabbit you hung up in the Red Dove…" he commented.

Seppuku threw Chiya two wallets, "Here, you've done well lately, so here is your pay."

Chiya looked inside of the wallets, they appeared to belong to Samurai Goroh's pirates. Chiya felt no guilt in accepting their money, as Goroh stabbed Earl and killed several security officers.

"Why don't I get paid that much?" Earl complained to Seppuku.

Seppuku looked at him angrily, "Because while she is saving officers, killing pirates, and uncovering underground stores, you're getting stabbed by pirate leaders."

Earl shut his eyes in frustration, "I also disabled the Weapons system on Goroh's ship, locked his men up, and literally fix your F-Zero machine up every time you do anything with it…"

Chiya looked at the two as they continued to argue with each other back and forth. She shrugged and then left his office, simply leaving back to her room to do other things.

To be Continued!


	18. Lap 18

==LAP 18=

Seppuku was alone in his office packing things into a small bag, he had the map up on the wall with the tag, _Black Market,_ above the alley Chiya had scouted out for him the other day. As usual Earl was working on F-Zero machines in the garage, and Chiya usually starting off her day with something on her mind. Seppuku looked in his desk for a rope to tie the bag with, but chose to staple the bag shut instead. Chiya at that moment ran into the room with a happy smile on her face.

"Seppuku!" she shouted excitedly. Seppuku slowly looked up at her, still holding the bag. "I saw online that the F-Zero committee is looking for a new pre-race introduction for you, rather than the common, 'he is dark and mysterious' kind of thing."

Seppuku rubbed the back of his neck looking at her, raising an eyebrow, "-and?"

Chiya whipped out a piece of paper she had written on, "Here is what I thought…" She cleared her throat preparing to read it aloud, "The man of kindness and friendship, always there to lend a helping hand to others, Lieutenant Seppuku!"

Seppuku's eyebrow was twitching at her proposed racer introduction, "Do you want to die?" he simply asked.

Chiya narrowed her eyes at him, "What do you mean?"

Seppuku slammed his hand on his desk, "Do _not _send that to the F-Zero committee!" he demanded.

Chiya looked at him suddenly nervous, "Uh…" She looked to the side of the room awkwardly, "I kinda' alrea-"

"Anyways we are nearly ready to do major damage to both gangs, in one big blast" he said placing the bag in front of his desk.

Chiya smiled with her teeth, "We're going to blow up their base?"

Seppuku clapped his hands, "Excellent thinking Chiya, but Jody would be on my ass if I did that."

Chiya looked at the bag suspicious of what the plan was. "Today we are going to simply throw this bag full of explosives into the Black Market, if what you told me is true, then the explosion should detonate other explosive materials down there." Chiya's eyes widened as he explained the plan, "With the Black Market destroyed, Chain and Blaskovitz will begin to lose weaponry, giving us the perfect moment to end this pitiful gang dispute."

Chiya nodded with a concerned expression, "Do we have to kill the store owner?" Seppuku raised an eyebrow at her question, "He seemed like a fairly nice person."

"He may seem like a nice person in your eyes, but he supplied criminals, making him a criminal, and that means he needs to pay."

Chiya looked at him with frustration, he was contradicting himself as he once said that minor criminals could change their lifestyle. Chiya then remembered another quote by Seppuku, where he proclaimed that some decisions she would have to make herself, using her best judgment, despite what Seppuku thought.

"Fine, I'm going to go take a shower" Chiya said walking out of his office.

Seppuku let out a chuckle, thinking that Chiya was beginning to understand his style of fighting crime.

Chiya had left the base and was rushing to the Black Market, she was holding her handgun while running, ready to simply blast her way through any gang members that she may encounter. Chiya had an angry look on her face, gritting her teeth as she ran down the sidewalk, she was determined to stop Seppuku from killing the owner. Chiya had no interest in even learning the name of the man she was trying to save, but knew that what Seppuku was planning on doing was morally wrong. There was little Chiya would be able to do except try and convince the man to leave the Black Market, if she were to tell him of Seppuku's plans, he would merely prepare a defense, maybe even kill her as soon as he learned of her involvement with Seppuku.

Chiya turned around the corner of a building quickly, looking down the street she saw no gang members. She grinned knowing that she was almost home free, as soon as she made it to the Black Market she would be safe, as the store enforced a neutrality rule against fighting. As she was half way down the street, the most unexpected thing happened behind her, a siren.

Chiya came to a halt quickly, still holding her handgun completely in the open, she could not believe that a police unit actually patrolled the Lower City at all, given past experiences. Despite the unlikely odds, it was happening, a police unit came behind her coming to an immediate stop. The officer kicked open his door, quickly getting behind the door aiming his handgun at Chiya.

"Put down your weapon!" he shouted at her.

Chiya was trembling, not knowing what to do, she hesitated to do anything, but had to accept that he was the law. She slowly bent over, dropping her handgun on the ground. The officer continued to aim his handgun at her as he carefully approached her, making sure that she wasn't going to try and pull another weapon.

Chiya had her hands up, she was trying to put together an excuse for having a weapon out on the streets, but had no legitimate excuses for this, except for the fact that the streets were dangerous.

"Are you insane?" he asked her.

Chiya shook her head nervously, "No sir, I just feel the need to possess a weapon during such trying times down here."

The officer raised an eyebrow, "That's why you didn't have your gun holstered?"

Chiya looked down at her gun trying to think, "Eyes up here" the officer demanded.

Chiya grinded her teeth nervously, trying to pick her next words carefully, "I've seen that violence occurs on this street a lot…"

Chiya was contemplating if she should activate the device Seppuku had given her the previous day, in which he said her location would be quickly given to Seppuku. The problem with doing this would be simply what Seppuku would do if he came and saw her being arrested, would Seppuku kill an officer just to secure an ally?

The officer looked down at the handgun, noticing the taser modification done to it.

"What the…" he muttered shocked. He looked back up at her quickly, "Can I see your gun ownership license?"

Chiya felt a chill go down her body at the question, _Not good, not good…_ she muttered in her mind constantly.

The officer bent over to finally grab her handgun off the ground, when a booming sound came thrashing towards them. Both Chiya and the officer immediately looked up into the air, noticing a smoking projectile going straight towards the police vehicle. The officer grabbed Chiya's arm, throwing each other onto the ground quickly. The police vehicle had exploded, leaving a blanket of dust, smoke, and debris rushing down the road. Red Star gang members then appeared on top of the roofs again, pulling out their assault rifles, the one that fired a rocket was setting the launcher down to grab his rifle.

Chiya quickly grabbed her handgun and dashed away from the officer while the smoke covered the area. The officer got on his knees looking around for Chiya, but could not find her at first sight, at the sound of assault rifle bullets ambushing him, he leaped through a buildings window taking immediate cover.

Chiya was now the only one on the streets, she could see the alley but escaping the massive amounts of Red Star infantry would present improbability. She was debating whether she should take cover or just rush to the alley, Red Star had rocket launchers, which made taking cover pointless. The Red Star gangsters took aim at Chiya and began to fire, Chiya was dodging the bullets as she ran for the alley. It was becoming quickly clear that Red Star was always watching the Black Market, destroying it would only do the world good. Chiya could see the bullets surrounding her, hitting the ground damaging the road, it was a miracle as to how she was not hit yet.

The officer looked out the window, and began to fire towards Red Star gangsters. This drew some of their attention, but ultimately the gangsters on the officers side of the street did not have to worry about him, continuing their fire on Chiya. She had landed on the sidewalk, and prepared to leap right into the alley where she would be safe. As bullets continued to fly past her missing, her guardian angel had fled away from her as she _just _entered the alley. A lone bullet had managed to chase Chiya as she ran down the alley, finally colliding with her shoulder, ripping the meat right off of her.

Chiya screamed falling down immediately after, she held her shoulder in pain, the bullet had traveled right through it, luckily not damaging any bones. Chiya quickly put one of her hands onto the ground, trying to lift herself. She knew she was in an area where she could not be shot, a bullet would have to bounce off the ground to hit her.

Chiya struggled to move her wounded arm to her waist, pressing the device she was given by Seppuku. She activated it and it began to display green lights around it, she did not call Seppuku for help in combat, but rather because she knew she could not possibly travel all the way back to base on her own at this point. Chiya continued to groan, her eyes watering, she had never imagined she would actually get shot, as if being a female was going to guard her. She looked in front of her, the door to the Black Market was right there, she had a chance to save the owner still.

She got on her knees, trying not to shake her right arm too much, finally managing to stand up. She slowly moved towards the door, holding her arm still. Chiya was lucky to still have a working arm at all, she was shot by a rifle, not a handgun, if the rifle's bullet had traveled any closer to the center of her arm, it could have completely destroyed it. Chiya began to move quicker, determined to complete her mission without failure. With one arm she grabbed the door, opening it quickly, she did not want the owner to realize that she had been shot. Chiya walked up to the counter quickly, looking up at the owner who raised an eyebrow at her.

"Back already?" he asked.

"You need to leave, you are in danger."

The owner looked at her with a look of doubt, "Why?"

Chiya gritted her teeth, feeling the pain in her arm, "The Bloody Chain plan on killing you, to ransack this place…" she lied.

The owner laughed, "I have a turret defense all around the store, what could he do to me?"

Chiya growled in frustration, she needed him to leave somehow, "I don't know how to make you understand…" She slowly grabbed the two wallets Seppuku gave her the previous day, taking out all of the money. "I will give you every single credit I have for you to leave this place for the day…"

The owner looked at the credits she placed on the counter in amazement, "That is a lot…"

Chiya was grinding her teeth, she could feel blood going down her arm, but was still trying to hide her wound from the owner.

"You mean you will give me all of this, just to leave?"

Chiya nodded gritting her teeth, the owner rubbed his chin, putting the money in his pocket, "To give me all of this, just to leave… Chain must have one bullet proof plan to kill me then…"

Chiya nodded, obviously lying about Chain's involvement. The owner nodded his head, "You are a true hero ma'am…" he muttered grinning.

He began to configure things on his turret defense remote, walking away from the bullet proof counter. "The next time that door opens, the turrets will engage anyone who enters this room, so I insist that you leave quickly" he explained.

"How will you get out unharmed then?"

The owner kicked open an underground door, leading to a tunnel. "I built this underground passageway leading to the Upper City, I'll just exit through here and come back tomorrow to pack my things, with the gangs wanting me dead, there's really no point of keeping this place open anyways."

Chiya nodded, walking back out the door, the owner then noticed that she was bleeding. He stared at her as she left the Black Market, he would have said something about her wound, but she had opened the door, thus activating the auto-turret defense. He needed to continue down the tunnel before his turrets would accidentally begin shooting at him.

Chiya looked in front of her, noticing that her handgun was on the ground. She went to pick it up, trying to think how she would make it back to base with Red Star surrounding the street, and her now wounded shoulder. She kneeled down once she picked up her handgun, exhausted. She then could hear footsteps approaching her, looking up revealed two Red Star members quickly approaching her. She looked back at the door, wanting to run back where it was safe, but if she entered the Black Market the turret defenses would take her out. Chiya turned angrily towards the two goons, she threw her handgun in front of her about to take a shot at them, but one of them quickly grabbed her arm. The smiling gangster was holding her up in the air by her arm, her hand still wrapped around the handgun.

"Dammit let me go!" she yelled at them.

The other gangster walked around her, looking at her other arm, "Oh we did get her!" he said excitedly.

Chiya was grunting as she remain motionless in the air, not finding any way of escaping their grasp. Her left arm was in too much pain to attempt a punch on the one holding her, the two were holding assault rifles which put her in an odd position as it was.

"You're not suppose to shoot women, you're suppose to take them out to dinner and other stuff!" the other gangster joked.

"Ideally, yes…" Chiya muttered at them.

The other gangster crossed his arms with a cheesy smile, "Boss will be pleased that we managed to capture her, she'll lead us right to Seppuku!"

The two punched each others knuckles proudly, before both of them were knocked out by the stock of Seppuku's long rifle. The two collapsed onto the ground unconscious, Chiya fell to the ground before any of them. Seppuku looked down at Chiya motionless checking if she was dead. Chiya continued to lay on the ground, making a light groan.

"Oh good, you're okay."

He then walked over to the door of the Black Market with the bag of explosives, he pulled out a lighter and attempted to light the bag on fire. He opened the door, waiting for a spark of fire to ignite on the bag. Chiya grabbed her handgun, rolling on her back, she looked over at Seppuku who had at that moment thrown the bag down the building. It was as that moment that Chiya could feel herself slipping away, the last thing she saw was Seppuku walking towards her slowly.

Seppuku looked at Chiya, who had fainted, he had then realized that she was shot. Seppuku raised an eyebrow at her body, quickly moving over to the two gangsters bodies. He bent over and looted them, taking both their wallets. Seppuku looked over at Chiya, who fainted holding her pistol in her hands, Seppuku grinned at this sight, finally moving forward to grab her.

Chiya found herself standing in a completely white area, white mist and fog covering the entire area. Chiya looked at her shoulder, which appeared to be completely unscratched now. She had then began to panic, looking around her desperately for anything, but there was only the dull whiteness surrounding her.

"Where am I?" she asked frightened.

"You are having a dream" a voice simply responded.

She spun around quickly, seeing the image of Captain Falcon fading into existence, the blue clothed man stood firmly looking at her from a distance.

"You chose another's life over yours, even though your life will prove to be more righteous than that Black Market owner's."

Chiya jumped high onto her feet beginning to panic, "Am I dead!?" she shouted.

Captain Falcon grinned, "Of course not, you only took a minor blow to the shoulder."

Suddenly Earl Bendek's image began to appear behind her, "We're not real, we're just figures in your imagination" he explained.

Leiutenant Seppuku appeared to one of her sides, "You survived your encounter, and your body is recovering as you dream, you are simply in a slumber…"

Chiya rubbed the back of her head confused, "Can I wake up then?"

Captain Falcon shook his head negatively, "Not yet, your brain will not let you until you learn your lesson from this experience"

"What is the lesson? That I shouldn't help those who are not truly bad?"

Seppuku walked in front of her, opening up his coat, suddenly colors began bursting out of his opened coat, coloring the world. Captain Falcon began to change shapes, quickly taking on the form of Samurai Goroh. Seppuku closed his coat, he had turned the empty white area into the transport that they were on heading to Sand Ocean. Chiya looked around confused, then noticing Goroh holding Earl.

"Wha-"

"Samurai Goroh was holding Earl Bendek, your friend, hostage, yet all you did was stand still doing nothing" Seppuku stated standing next to her as he was during that encounter.

"If I moved forward he would have killed Earl, and besides, you didn't do anything either."

"It was a moment that required thinking, if you recall, I did immediately pursue Goroh, you chose to sit idly by with a dying Earl, basically accepting defeat."

Chiya stood motionless, not sure how to respond to this. Seppuku opened his coat again, bringing them to the moment where she had Michael Chain at gun point.

"In this scenario, you had an opportunity to kill Michael Chain, thus ending the Gang War, but you didn't, you let him go."

Chiya clenched her fist, "I was giving him a chance to leave Mute City!" she challenged.

Seppuku pointed at the two Bloody Chain bodies, she had shot both of his guards with armor piercing bullets, killing them. "You killed his two guards, but left him alive, what crimes did they commit that could possibly topple Chain's crimes?"

Chiya gritted her teeth sadly, not realizing what she had done at that time until now. "I had no idea I was-"

Seppuku opened his coat all the way, completely filling the area with an unfamiliar setting, they were on top of the Galactic Federation HQ tower during a storm. Chiya looked around her, then looking down the building, she widened her eyes shivering at how high up they were.

"Okay! Alright! From what I understand, you think I should think things through more carefully, accounting for the risks that may occur as a result of my actions!" she said quickly shutting her eyes in fear of the height.

Seppuku nodded, "If you intend on doing my plans, your way, I expect you to know what you are doing…"

Chiya nodded, Seppuku returned a nod to her, "Excellent…now…" he raised his rifle right up to Chiya's forehead, "Wake up!" he shouted firing at her head.

Chiya launched herself up, she was laying in her bed. Earl was standing beside her grinning, "Good, you're awake."

Chiya looked at him surprised, then noticed that Seppuku stood to the other side of her. "You passed out because of your little wound, weak to say the least" he said coldly.

Chiya dipped her apologetically, "I'm sorry for leaving the base without you, I was just thinking that-"

"Stop it."

Chiya looked at him shaking, Seppuku exhaled, "Don't take me for some kind of idiot, please, it's obvious that you went to warn the owner of my arrival…"

Chiya looked down at her chest feeling guilty, Seppuku put his hand on her shoulder, "Obviously, if you would go as far as getting shot to save someone you hardly know, then I may have misjudged you, you must have truly believed that he had good intentions, while I may not agree, I will just have to respect you for now…"

Chiya looked at him excited when he mentioned _respect_.

Seppuku looked at her shoulder, "Bendek says that your shoulder should be good to go in two days…"

Earl groaned looking at Seppuku slowly, "Two weeks…**weeks**!"

Seppuku simply laughed at his frustration, obviously disregarding him. Chiya looked at Earl, who was angrily clenching his fist at Seppuku.

"Did the Black Market go up in flames?" she asked.

Seppuku nodded, "Like fireworks."

Seppuku then looked at Earl quickly, "How is Chiya's vehicle going?"

Earl rubbed the back of his head, "I almost have the reactor installed…but you keep damaging your damn vehicle, so I need to continue devoting my attention to it considering the next race is just around the corner."

Seppuku grinned, "Lightning…my favorite track."

Chiya looked at him frightened, "You mean in the Lightning area of Mute City?"

Seppuku clapped his hands together, "Yep, no justice there, it would be a death trap for the Galactic Federation to patrol that area, it's a gold mine for criminals…"

"I'm surprised you don't lurk around there then…" Chiya muttered.

Far away in a dark building, Michael Chain slowly moved with two of his goons, his legs starting to get better. Michael Chain was clenching his fists angrily, "If we are to stop Brock Blaskovitz, we are going to need to stop the Third party first!" he yelled at his goons.

He slammed his hand against the hallway of his base, "I have had enough!" his two guards stood still looking at an angry Chain. "Forget Red Star! I want a manhunt initiated…Seppuku and the girl, they both must die."

To be Continued!


	19. Lap 19

==LAP 19=

Chiya and Earl were both in the café, Bart Lemming leaning towards them discussing about the upcoming race at the Lightning track. The Lightning Area was a famous part of outer Mute City, due to past pollution in the area, a constant array of lightning and rain covered that area of Mute City. It was not long before it was decided that this could be used as a source of power, so the area became a major location for collecting energy, which to this day delivers unlimited energy to other planets as a top selling resource from Earth, it is also the reason that the atmospheric track can remain intact without collapsing.

Chiya had put on a different shirt, as her other one was completely ruined by the hole from the bullet, and the constant blood that soaked the side. Chiya had not purchased any coffee from Bart, but was just there to hang out with Earl.

"I've heard rumors that the Lightning Area may be where Blood Falcon lurks" Earl commented.

"Unlikely, Blood Falcon serves a master of darkness, and his master would not be staying this close to the Federation."

Chiya looked at Bart, he seemed to have all of his facts when it came to F-Zero, "Who is his master?"

Bart exhaled slowly, "A man of evil, Black Shadow." Bart opened up a drawer behind the counter and pulled out a folder of photos and information. He opened up a section of the folder and placed it in front of Chiya. "This is Black Shadow."

Chiya looked at the photos in front of her, Black Shadow was even more muscular than Michael Chain, wore a black bodysuit, a black cape, a mask that was connected to his bodysuit, and finally long devil horns. Chiya rubbed her chin looking at him, noticing that he was standing near a massive F-Zero machine with a cockpit raised high up into the air. She then noticed that the F-Zero machine had a liscenced number on the side, number thirty.

"He is an F-Zero racer?" she asked confused.

Bart sighed looking at the photos, "Black Shadow no longer appears at the Annual Grand Prix, the last time he raced was during the F-Zero X Grand Prix."

Earl laughed, not looking at the photos, "I think he lost interest in it all when it became illegal to be a Black Shadow fan…"

Chiya slammed her hand on the counter amazed, "Illegal? To be a fan?"

Bart nodded in agreement, "After the F-Zero X Grand Prix, he was labeled insane, a terrorist, and believed himself to be a God, so they decided it was time to pressure him to quit."

"Why didn't they just kill him?"

Bart sighed looking down at the counter, "It isn't possible, we would have to take him out away from the race, it is a matter of culture…F-Zero is it's own nation, once you enter the race track, you follow a new set of laws."

Chiya shook her head, believing this to be insane, if a criminal was too much of a threat he should be taken care of, despite F-Zero regulations. "Where is he now?"

Earl shrugged, "No one knows, not even Captain Falcon, anyone who can collect his bounty would be set for life though."

Bart grabbed the folder and put it back in the drawer, "He will reveal himself to us eventually…" He closed the drawer and looked out the window, the _White Cat_ had just driven up to the café. "When he does appear, we will be in for the fight of our lives…" he concluded as Jody Summer walked in.

Bart saluted her, "Jody Summer" he greeted.

Jody stood in front of the door looking at him, "Bart, can I talk to you in the back please?"

Bart nodded with a now serious expression, he began walking to the back of the café. Jody began walking around the counter before stopping in front of Earl.

"How is Seppuku?"

Earl flailed his hand in front of him, "Well…his actions got Chiya shot yesterday."

Chiya waved her hands negatively, "That's not true, his actions would have prevented me from getting shot, that was my own fault!" she panicked trying to defend Seppuku.

Jody nodded looking at her, "Careful, you'll have much more of those situations if you stick with him." She then continued to the back with Earl.

Chiya clenched her fist angrily at what Jody had told her, the last time they had encountered was at Sand Ocean, where she had practically begged the three to continue working on the Gang War, she still appeared to be hinting for Chiya to leave after all of this.

"Let's go Earl" she muttered angrily.

Earl looked at her, easily noticing her frustration, but politely agreed to take her back to base.

Later that night, Chiya and Earl finally got down to business and was working on her vehicle. Earl nearly had the F-Zero machine working, but Seppuku continued to halt progress by requiring constant maintenance on the _Red Dove_. Earl stood on top of the machine, looking down at the reactor he had installed.

"This should be it, but it just isn't spinning…"

Chiya bit her finger hoping that there was not a problem with the reactor she had picked out from Red Star. Earl leaped down to the floor thinking of what the problem could be. Chiya sat on a table hoping that the answer would be within sight soon, if the part simply did not work, Seppuku would likely have Chiya return to the Red Star lot to find another reactor. Earl climbed into the cockpit, looking at the computer inside of it, he then sighed upon seeing something.

"Well that's great" he moaned.

"What?"

"This reactor, it was special built for vehicles like the Red Dove that were much lighter."

Chiya looked down disappointed, Earl felt guilty knowing that this was something he could have noticed earlier. "But the Red Dove's reactor would probably work, we could just switch these reactors around."

Chiya shook her head negatively, "No, the race is only two days away, it would be a tragedy if we did something wrong to his machine."

Earl sighed at the limited amount of options they had, Chiya began walking away disappointed, "I'm just going to go draw or something."

Earl let her walk out of the garage, he felt that there was more he could do, _I hope she didn't leave so she could cry_ he thought. Earl looked back at the _Red Dove_, clenching his fists. "I'll take the thunder if something goes wrong…" he said to himself bravely.

Chiya walked down the hallways of the base, she was now angry at the fact that more work would need to be done, just to find a reactor that _might_ work with her vehicle. Chiya walked over to Seppuku's office, to inform him that they needed to find a new reactor. She exhaled, opening the door, but to her surprise found that Seppuku was nowhere in his office. She slowly continued walking into his office, _He must be out hunting for crime_ she assumed. The first thing she noticed in the room, was that the only reason there was any light was because of his computer. Chiya could feel her heart beating suddenly, at an instant she had the urge to go on his computer and look around. She was standing still in front of the door, battling her temptations. _What if he has secret plans to rule the planet…_ her conscience told her. Chiya gritted her teeth nervously, "It would be rude to do that though…" she muttered aloud. Chiya ultimately decided to do the wrong thing, and put herself behind his desk.

She looked at the door, afraid that Seppuku could return at any moment, he normally would stay out for most of the night, meaning she was likely safe. She carefully began to access his computer, immediately looking around for things of interest to her, a lot of the things he had saved was news articles relevant to Captain Falcon. Chiya stared at all of the articles in confusion, _Why does he care so much about Captain Falcon?_ She then noticed something of great importance to her, an official medical record on him he had saved. Chiya widened her eyes, _That wouldn't be right of me…no one deserves to have this read_. She was tapping her fingers quickly, realizing that this was a quick way of finally at long last, getting all needed information on who Lieutenant Seppuku was. Chiya closed her eyes, feeling guilty, _I'll just skim for basic information, nothing else._ She opened the page, revealing his medical record, stating that he had only checked in one time in his entire life. Of course Chiya was not true to her word, looking at every single fact listed about him, but was surprised at what was listed.

"Sex: Male… Age: Unknown… Virgin: Unknown… Place of Birth: Unknown…" she muttered amazed. "Blood Type: O… Family: Unknown…" her mouth was dropped in confusion at what little information was available.

She moved down to the doctors notes on him, which was huge, the notes did not appear to be intended for Seppuku to read however, the doctor wrote:

'_The patient has refused to provide us with his birth name, simply wanting to be called by his racing persona. This patient is strange, we called in scientists without his knowledge to study a disturbing discovery, his blood type is O, but what is strange, is that his blood is that of a childs, as if he were a newborn child, but he clearly is a middle aged man. We have not determined how this is possible, or whether this endangers him, he appears to be healthy none-the-less. I am sending this document up to Seoul for further discussion, under no circumstances should this medical record be brought to patient Seppuku's attention, we have already informed the Galactic Federation of this strange discovery, as it is where he is employed at.'_

Chiya stared at the note, her eyes quivering at what she had just read, she did not understand at all what they were talking about, but understood that something about his blood was wrong. Did Seppuku have some kind of birth defect, or was he not even human? Chiya put her hands back on the keyboard, then noticing something next to her hand, it was the key to the _Red Dove_. She looked at it, something on her mind that she couldn't figure out, she closed out the medical record, thinking back to when she first met Seppuku the night she was in danger. Something about the keys were trying to warn her about something, she then realized, during that night Seppuku had the _Red Dove_ with him while hunting for crime. She widened her eyes remembering something, she then cringed, remembering that the _Red Dove_ was still in the garage. At that moment she could hear the door begin to open, Seppuku had not actually left yet. A disturbed Chiya quickly leaped under his desk, as it was the only place she could go in such a situation.

Seppuku turned on the lights to the room, walking towards his desk. Chiya was on her knees trembling, Seppuku would likely find her if he sat down.

"Stay in front of my desk" Seppuku ordered.

Chiya widened her eyes immediately before noticing that he was not talking to her, she was curious as to who else was in the room. She then jolted up as she could see Seppuku's legs move under the desk. She could only fit under the desk if she stayed on her knees.

"So you wanted me for?" Seppuku asked.

"We were called several times at the sound of a large explosion yesterday, we assumed this was your doing" a voice responded.

Chiya knew who was in the room, it was Jody Summer, but more footsteps could be heard, there was someone else in the room as well. Seppuku chuckled at Jody's accusation towards him.

"Well you did tell me to finish this fight for you."

"That isn't helping, you are just causing more havoc."

"That isn't true, without that weapons market there, the streets will be even more clean."

Chiya then nearly screamed as she felt something on her back, Seppuku had put his legs on her back as a footrest. Seppuku suddenly halted, obviously feeling something was not right under his desk, but he did not bother look, continuing to use Chiya as a footrest. Seppuku was rubbing his chin, still looking at Jody Summer, before he grinned. Chiya then felt Seppuku rubbing his feet on her back, wiping his boots all over her. _Damn you…_ Chiya thought to herself.

"What weapons market?" Jody demanded.

"A secret Black Market, both Red Star and Bloody Chain were taking advantage of it, so me and my… _**associate! **_…removed it by force."

He kicked his right foot on Chiya's back, making her struggle to stay on her knees. "With no Black Market, they will no longer wage constant battles over that street."

"What street? Did you account for the fact that the gangs may now try getting weapons from the Upper City?" Jody yelled at him.

"That would be your problem, I only work down here."

Seppuku moved his other foot to the back of Chiya's neck, pushing down on it. Chiya was shaking desperately trying to hold herself together.

"Take us to this Black Market" Jody demanded.

Seppuku tapped his foot on Chiya, "Just like that, the Galactic Federation wants my help again."

Chiya was relieved, he was going to finally leave.

"Shut up and let's go."

Seppuku smiled deviously, "I was thinking we could sit here and reconnect a little first…" he said pushing both feet on the back of her neck now. Chiya was staring uncomfortably in front of her, her neck aching.

"Yeah right, take us to this market, now."

Seppuku finally grinned, taking his feet off of Chiya, "Fine, I'll show you."

Seppuku left with Jody and whoever else was with them, the other person had not spoken at all the entire time, leaving Chiya clueless on who was in the room. The lights turned off and everyone had left the room. Chiya finally crawled out of the desk, exhausted from being used as furniture. She walked up to a mirror in the room, observing her back, she had dirt from Seppuku's boots going all the way from her shorts, to her hair. She sighed knowing that she would need to clean all of her things yet again.

Chiya immediately headed for her room, it was not a good day for her, the main issue being that the reactor for her F-Zero machine not working. Seppuku had told her that if they did not have all the parts for her F-Zero machine installed shortly after the Grand Prix, she would not apply for the next Annual Grand Prix. The thought of her missing the Grand Prix forced her to throw herself into her pillow. She shook the pillow on her bed angrily, she knew she could drive an F-Zero machine, but she knew she could do better, she could race, and win the Grand Prix. She did not want to miss yet another Grand Prix, she was fine watching with Earl, but she wanted more.

Chiya prepared to leave her room to go see Earl again, but stopped, she just couldn't bring herself back there. _He must find me annoying_ she thought angrily to herself. Chiya backed away from the door, not wanting to pester Earl with her negative attitude. She fell back onto her bed, not knowing what to do, she wanted to be an F-Zero racer, not some crime fighting superhero. She glanced over at her handgun with an angry expression.

"I could do it…I could take this gun and kill Brock Blaskovitz myself!" she said in full rage. She looked at the weapon, envisioning herself blasting through the Red Star headquarters all by herself. Ultimately she sighed at the thought of doing this, "No, I couldn't do that."

Chiya turned off the lights, deciding that she needed sleep urgently. All she thought about as she tried to sleep was how eventually she would be an F-Zero racer, this is what she needed to realize, she would become an F-Zero racer, but perhaps not as soon as she had thought.

Chiya woke up the following morning with someone shaking her violently. As an initial response, she grabbed her handgun that sat to the side of her, aiming it at the culprit, but of course, it was Seppuku.

"Wake up child."

Chiya blinked at him disturbed, "Why don't you knock?" she asked.

A barely awake Chiya followed Seppuku through the hallways, she was much more calm now, realizing that getting the reactor would likely be easy if Seppuku helped her. Seppuku stopped at the garage door, Chiya looked at him confused, he stood firmly doing nothing. Chiya continued forward opening the garage door, the first thing she noticed was that only Earl's vehicle was in the garage. Both her vehicle and the _Red Dove_ was not present. She scanned the garage confused, looking for Earl, Seppuku walked past her going towards the large garage door. She followed him, walking outside of the base, the bright light was bothering her eyes as she had only just woken up. She stood still amazed at Earl, who was leaning against both F-Zero machines grinning. Both the _Red Dove_ and her vehicle was turned on next to each other.

Chiya muttered noises, amazed yet confused, she slowly walked around her vehicle, the booster was installed. Chiya widened her eyes in amazement, everything was installed except for a combat module. She spun at Earl quickly, "But…I thought-"

Seppuku crossed his arms angrily, "He was suppose to be working on the Red Dove…but instead he worked on your vehicle all of yesterday…"

Earl shrugged, "The Red Dove is fine…honestly all you usually do to it is dent it really bad, me and Chiya already dealt with that."

Chiya clapped her hands together smiling, "You got everything installed?" she asked excitedly.

"Everything but a combat module, get that and we can get to the fun stuff, like painting."

Chiya leaped into the air, "Purring Kitten, Pink and Red!"

Earl shut his eyes smirking, rubbing the back of his head, "Oh, you still want to do that…" he said still hoping for a dark black and red coat of paint.

Seppuku couldn't help but find himself grinning at the happy moment, as soon as Chiya caught him appearing happy for her, he shot back a look of anger. He pointed at Earl quickly, "You're going to work on the Red Dove all day today, or you're fired!" he threatened.

Earl smiled with his teeth, "Yeah, yeah…"

Earl looked at Chiya, who was bent over her nearly finished machine, he began to laugh at her, "Hey Chiya, what's all of that black stuff on your back?" he asked referring to the dirt left from Seppuku's boots.

She jolted up with widened eyes, "Uh…"

Seppuku grinned at her, "Yes, how did you get that over your back?"

Chiya slowly looked at him, Seppuku clearly knew what had happened, but wanted to hear it from her mouth.

Chiya rubbed her head laughing, "You know…I was…" she was desperately trying to think of an excuse.

Seppuku laughed at her, walking away as she could not think of any excuse.

Chiya looked at Earl, who was still grinning, thankful for what he did for her. What Earl did not mention was that he went ahead and replaced the _Red Dove_'s reactor with the one she brought him, it was a secret he would take to his grave.

To be Continued!


	20. Lap 20

==LAP 20=

Chiya roamed the hallways of the base happily, Earl had successfully installed every necessary part for her F-Zero machine, all that remained was a combat module. The Grand Prix was quickly coming to an end, and everything seemed to be going positively, the Gang War was at its last stand, her machine was nearly done, and Lieutenant Seppuku still had the possibility of placing first overall, meaning he had a shot at the prize money. Chiya was hoping that she would not run into anymore problems before he shoulder fully healed, luckily it is agreed by both Earl and Seppuku that she was just a little more than grazed, not even a cast was needed to support her arm.

Chiya had spun around happily past her room, she then noticed something, there was a door she had never entered before that was right across from her room. Chiya stood still, contemplating if she should enter, it was a room she was clearly not told about, meaning it must have been of insignificance to her. Yet she found herself turning the door knob, opening the door revealed a dark room. She turned on the lights, now seeing that this was a bedroom. What shocked her was that she had only just moved in, yet this room was much more clean and organized than hers. One of the first things she noticed was that the room of full of expensive antique possessions, she looked to her side and could see some military uniforms. She looked at the uniforms confused, close observations of the uniform revealed a patch, _Angels of Korea_. She walked towards the bed holding her chin, she was shocked to see a framed photo of her sitting on a table next to the bed, one of Seppuku as well, the pictures were from a day when Earl was taking a day off from work.

"This must be Seppuku's room…" she muttered to herself noticing multiple jackets hanging near the bed.

Seppuku had walked down the hallway, noticing that the door was open, he stomped his foot and charged into the room, "Dammit Earl! I said you were to work on-"

Chiya looked at him confused, "Earl?"

Seppuku crossed his arms negatively, "Don't you have anything else to do?"

Chiya put her finger on her lip thinking, "I could help Earl with the Red Dove" she proposed.

"No, you only distract Bendek."

Chiya dipped her head sadly, assuming that he meant that she annoyed him too much. Chiya pondered on what she could do, assuming that this was a free day for her.

"I don't know then, I'm just killing time until the next race I guess…"

Seppuku stared at her menacingly, "Both you and Earl will be sneaking in guns this time."

Chiya looked at him shocked, "Are you crazy?"

"The Lightning Area is going to present us with trouble, I guarantee it."

"In the race?"

Seppuku shook his head negatively, "No, but I've earned myself a few enemies lately, Goroh and Blood Falcon may try and pick a fight with me after what I pulled."

"Blood Falcon? Do you think you could beat him?"

Seppuku made no movements at all, "It would be quite the even match" he admitted.

Chiya and Seppuku both became completely still, they could hear someone walking down the hallway. Seppuku raised an eyebrow looking at the door, "Why is Earl not working?"

Chiya got an angry expression on her face, he was treating Earl like a slave acting like he had to work every minute, or he would be punished. The footsteps were getting closer, and an angry Seppuku began to walk towards the door angrily. As soon as he reached the door, he realized it was not Earl, as a much larger counterpart was standing in front of him. Seppuku gasped, immediately tackling the large person, Chiya could feel her heart beating quickly, it was one of Michael Chain's goons, somehow he had found Seppuku's base.

"How did you find this place!" Seppuku demanded wrestling the goon for his shotgun.

The Bloody Chain member did not respond, Chiya quickly leaped out the door with her handgun, using her new taser on the gang member sending him into an unstable state. Seppuku grabbed the shotgun, disarming him, and stood above him. Chiya had her handgun trained at his head, "Do I kill him?" she asked quickly.

Seppuku shook his hands negatively at her, "No!"

Chiya looked at him surprised, seeing a rare moment of mercy from him.

"You'll get blood all over my floors!" he concluded.

The Bloody Chain member lay on the floor breathing heavily after his _shocking_ moment. Seppuku roughly put his foot on his wrist pressing down, "How did you find us?" he demanded.

"Jody Summer…I saw her come here."

Seppuku shook his hand angrily in the air, "Damn bat, just had to park in front of the base…" he muttered aloud.

"You're not going to kill Seppuku that easily!" Chiya yelled challenging him.

Seppuku nodded affirmatively at Chiya, the goon simply chuckled at what she said, "Michael Chain didn't send us to hunt Seppuku, that would be suicide fighting him in his own base…"

Seppuku raised an eyebrow, "What are you doing here then?"

The goon threw his arm up into the air, pointing at Chiya, "He ordered us to capture her, alive."

Chiya widened her eyes shocked, "Me? Why?"

The goon swatted his hand against his chest, "I wouldn't betray the Bloody Chain like that…"

Seppuku shot him in the face, killing him instantly, Seppuku was shaking in anger at his intentions to capture Chiya. Chiya looked at him quickly, confused at his sudden decision to kill him after all.

"Shouldn't we have interrogated him?" she asked.

Seppuku clenched his fists angrily, grinding his teeth, "We are out of time…they know where we work, it is only a matter of time before they decide to swarm this building."

Chiya gasped realizing the pressure they now had, but he was right, if the Bloody Chain knew where they were, nothing was stopping Chain from sending a few hundred gang members to assault the base, they were running out of time. Chiya bit on her finger concerned over the situation, the only good news was that Red Star likely did not have this kind of information.

Seppuku exhaled, holding his face in anger, "We have run out of time, we're going to need to push the envelope on this one."

Chiya stood firmly saluting him, "Sir."

Seppuku rubbed his hands together in pressure, "Right after this next race, we need to attack the heart of Bloody Chain…and finally kill Michael Chain."

Chiya nodded, as risky as it was, fighting the Bloody Chain head on was the best thing they could resort to at a time like this. The difficult part was that the Bloody Chain had hundreds more workers than Seppuku. Seppuku began to walk away from Chiya towards his office, his mission completely changed.

"Chiya, patrol the base, have your gun ready, if you see multiple gang members approaching, come get me quickly."

Chiya nodded, beginning to tremble at the situation they were in, how would anyone be able to sleep knowing that an attack was possible. Chiya began walking down the hallway carefully with her handgun ready to fire at any moment. Chiya had killed the captured Bloody Chain member too early, as they could have gotten more information out of him through violent measures.

Much later in the day, Earl and Seppuku were both ordered into Seppuku's office, no gang members had come near the base all day, but the risk of being attacked remained. Seppuku stared at the two, tapping his fingers on his desk angrily.

"Alright, I know Chiya is going to be bugged at this…" Chiya gave Seppuku an offended look. "The only way to ensure we are safe, is by staying on guard, all night."

Chiya got a troubled look on her face, "All night? I can't do that!" she complained.

"So you would prefer running the risk of Chain's men surrounding you in your bed at night?"

Chiya thought about this, ultimately sighing at the truth he spoke, night time would be the ideal time to attack, as it was when most people were off guard.

"What section of the base will you be watching over?" Earl asked.

"My bed" Seppuku coldly responded.

Both Earl and Chiya looked angered, "What?" they both asked.

Seppuku looked at the two with a serious expression, "If I don't sleep well tonight, I will flunk the race tomorrow."

Chiya was not pleased with this, but had to agree with him, if Seppuku was not well rested, he would not be able to concentrate on the race at all.

"That's not fair!" Earl complained.

"Fine…We'll watch the base for you."

Earl looked at Chiya surprised, for once she was simply agreeing with Seppuku without further complaints. Seppuku grinned at Chiya, nodding approvingly, Earl quickly gave up nodding affirmatively to his orders.

"As soon as this race is over, we are going to finalize our plans and throw ourselves at the Bloody Chain, we are out of options…" Seppuku said silently.

Earl widened his eyes at this, "That's suicide."

Chiya bit her finger at the sound of attacking Michael Chain just like that, but could find no alternate solution to their problem. They certainly could not stay on guard every single night until a better opportunity arrived. Seppuku held his face in frustration, Seppuku was showing much more concern than usual, and if he was showing doubt for a mission, that likely meant that someone was going to die.

All three were silent, the fear of attacking the Bloody Chain was all around the room, Chiya and Earl fearing for their lives, Seppuku simply angry at the desperate situation. He looked up, holding the trim of his fedora.

"If I die in the mission, you two are to retreat, take the two F-Zero machines and leave this base for good." Both Chiya and Earl gasped looking at Seppuku, who was sitting completely still. "If I die, then they win, you two will need to reorganize and continue this operation elsewhere."

Chiya shook her head constantly disagreeing with him, "You won't die!" she yelled.

Seppuku slammed his hands on the table, "Idiot…what do you think I am? Some kind of demigod?"

Chiya stood still trembling at the thought of him dying, but he was right, he nearly died at the hands of Michael Chain the day she arrived at the base, he was no one of power, just simply someone who was intimidating.

Seppuku pointed at Earl, "You are to be the new leader if I die."

Earl looked at him waving his hands negatively, "No way, I'm not bearing that responsibility, if you're out, then I'm done."

Seppuku shook his hand angrily at him, before looking at Chiya, "I suppose you will run as well?"

"If Earl leaves, I'm just going to take my F-Zero machine and simply work on becoming an F-Zero racer."

Seppuku sighed at the two, spinning his chair around he looked away from the two, "You two disappoint me immensely." The room became quiet, and Seppuku showed little interest in continuing the conversation, "Out…you have your orders."

Chiya and Earl silently honored his orders, walking out of his office. Earl closed the door, walking down the hallway with Chiya. She appeared to be distraught after their conversation with Seppuku, he seemed very set on the idea that he would be killed, but for some reason expecting his companions to survive.

"You should have at least lied and told him you would take over" Chiya commented.

Earl gritted his teeth angrily, "Chi', I don't have the first clue on how I would do that anyways, I engineer, not fight crime."

Chiya angrily swatted her arms at her waist, she was somewhat annoyed at Earl, but couldn't find the strength to yell at him, not after all he did for her. She exhaled trying to let out stress, Earl rubbed his forehead trying to calm down as well.

Earl sighed finally looking down, "You mentioned you would leave if I left?"

Chiya clenched her fists angrily, "Of course…"

Earl raised an eyebrow at her, feeling somewhat flattered by her intentions of staying.

"I would only leave then, because I would be alone again.." she muttered angrily.

"Again?"

Chiya grunted, "Seppuku is insane, and has nearly gotten me…_us_ killed several times, yet this has been one of the happiest places for me in my entire life."

Earl had a surprised look on his face, the idea that Chiya actually enjoyed living in the dark base was overly shocking. "What about your planet, Mysteria?"

Chiya shot him back with a disturbed expression, "I'm not going back!" she yelled.

Earl widened his eyes at her random response, not answering his question at all.

Chiya dipped her head sighing, "I don't talk about that…I like to cast my memories there aside, as if my existence there never happened."

Earl found this to be a perfect moment to take a shot in the dirt and learn about her troubles in Mysteria, but ultimately remained with his past decision to respect her privacy.

The two entered the main lobby of the base, where the display cases were, Earl clenched his fist looking at a sad Chiya. He finally smirked giving up, feeling the need to keep her happy.

"If Seppuku dies, I'll buy us an area in the Upper City, we can start over from there, but I'll run this operation a lot differently than Seppuku."

Chiya looked up slightly smiling, then closing her eyes happily, "Good, to be honest I don't know where I would have gone from here…"

Earl looked away from her, "Don't worry though, Seppuku won't die, none of us will!" he assured her.

Hours later, Seppuku was sleeping in his desk, preparing for the race. It was way past Midnight, Chiya and Earl had eventually resorted to sitting down in the main lobby with their guns still ready. As Seppuku had assumed, Chiya was the one of the two who was ready to collapse of exhaustion. The two had talked about fairly casual things throughout the night, and were merely sitting still waiting for a situation to break out. The more she waited, the more she realized the hardship of attacking the Bloody Chain would be, they would need to fight completely exhausted due to the all-nighter.

Chiya slowly turned her head towards Earl, "So Seppuku was a soldier? What war was he in?"

Earl looked at her confused, "Soldier? Where did you hear that?"

"I saw his military jacket inside of his bedroom."

Earl widened his eyes upon hearing this, then looked down chuckling silently, "_My_ bedroom" he corrected.

Chiya raised an eyebrow at him confused, before realizing that it wasn't Seppuku's bedroom, it was Earl's. "Oh, I'm sorry…I was beginning to think that you just slept in the garage."

Earl nodded understanding, "I wasn't a soldier, I was a combat engineer."

Chiya looked at him surprised, "So you were military then?"

Earl nodded affirmatively, "I fought against a Manchurian uprising, wanting independence from Korea, they mainly wanted to merge with the United Powers, but we didn't let them."

Chiya smiled with her eyes shut, "I have no clue what you are talking about, I know little about Geography on this planet…"

"The United Powers is Ninety-five percent of the world, Korea and Japan are the last remaining independent nations, mostly because of F-Zero."

Chiya nodded, trying to understand what he was saying. Earl shrugged, "I never actually got to see any combat, mostly fixing tanks back at the base I was stationed at, I only volunteered because working as an engineer in war would make me look good when applying for a job."

"-and thus you ended up here."

Earl shrugged, "I guess you could say it like that, this job isn't bad though, I get paid a lot while still helping the people of Mute City."

Chiya crossed her arms angrily, "Except you are treated badly here…"

Earl looked at her disagreeing, "Not quite, he would treat anyone the same way, but for some reason he treats you much more softly."

Chiya widened her eyes quickly looking at Earl, "You don't think he's in love with me do you?" she asked franticly.

Earl immediately responded to her by laughing, finding her response so quick and judgmental towards him.

Chiya laid back against the wall again, taking his laughter as a way of saying 'no'.

Earl became silent again, reminiscing his past experiences with Seppuku before Chiya came along. "I've said it before, but I'll say it again, Seppuku is weird, but has good intentions, if he could change the world in his image, I'm sure he would turn it into a perfect crime free place, probably ruining Captain Falcon's career while he's at it…" Earl held his chin nodding, "If I had to say anything, he expects us to stay in the back during this mission against the Bloody Chain, he intends on doing most of the work, just to keep us safe, knowing that we are the only family he has."

Earl then looked to the side of him, Chiya had fallen asleep. Earl got an angry expression looking at her, "Dammit…I'm going to have to repeat all of that?" he asked her.

Chiya did not wake up, she departed into a deep rest, not use to staying up at such a late time. Earl patted her cheeks softly, trying to wake her up, but she did not show any intentions of waking up anytime soon. Earl sighed looking down at the ground, it was early in the morning and none of the Bloody Chain had shown up yet.

"I was hoping you were more of the party girl…" Earl muttered to the sleeping Chiya.

He rubbed his eyes, then shook her arm more violently, only getting frustrated mumbling from her. Earl realized that she was done for, even if he got her to wake up, she would still just be a tired drag. Earl rubbed his head, contemplating doing something that may bother her. He then nodded to himself, wrapping his arms around her, he lifted her up. Chiya had obviously become disturbed at this, but was not directly awake. He lifted her up, standing up, and began walking down the hallway again. Chiya appeared to accept him carrying her in her sleep, as she reverted back to a calm slumber. He opened the door to her room and laid her down on her bed, tucking her in.

Earl silently chuckled, wondering how he managed to do this without waking her up, he then equipped his handgun again, walking out of the room back to the lobby. Earl did not believe that any attack would be coming, but was prepared to take the risk of single handedly defending the base if one were to come. Though he seemed to be set on the idea that everything would work out, he had to wonder if this was the last night he would ever get to talk to Chiya and Seppuku.

To be Continued!


	21. Lap 21

==LAP 21=

Chiya had woken up, she almost immediately launched her eyes open shocked to find herself in her bed. She gasped sitting up quickly, she looked around her, she found that she had been perfectly wrapped in her blanket, something she normally didn't do.

"What the Hell?" she asked frightened. She then realized what the problem was, she had fallen asleep on the job. "Shoot!" she muttered looking at her door.

Chiya and Earl were to watch over the base all night, it was now the afternoon and the race was to begin in a few hours, and after that they were to attack the Bloody Chain in one final battle that would likely have its toll on her life. Chiya sighed while getting out of her bed, she assumed that she was to go straight to Seppuku's office. She saw that her handgun was where it usually would be when she wakes up, her ultimate assumption was simply that she went to bed by herself, but simply could not remember. As soon as she opened her door, Earl had walked past her holding a cup of coffee walking towards Seppuku's office.

"Yo" she greeted.

Earl spun around grinning, "Sleep well?"

Chiya swatted her arms at her waist frustrated, "Yes, what happened to me last night?" she demanded.

"You fell asleep in the lobby, so I brought you to your bedroom."

Chiya chuckled at him, "I don't think so…I'm a light sleeper."

Earl shook his head at her in disagreement, the two continued towards Seppuku's office. Chiya still seemed to be depressed about the inevitable battle with Michael Chain, it was the simple fact that Seppuku was showing doubt, and he seemed to always know what he was doing. Earl reached towards the door knob slowly, Chiya bit her finger nervously, wondering how Seppuku's mood would be. Earl hesitantly opened the door, revealing an empty desk. Chiya looked surprised, before the two noticed that he was standing to the side of the room looking at the screen on the wall.

"Seppuku" Earl greeted.

Seppuku turned around quickly waving, "Hey guys" he greeted excitedly.

Chiya raised an eyebrow, he had only said two words and she could already tell that he wasn't in a bad mood.

"Your report?"

Earl nodded at him, "Me and Chiya stayed on guard all night" he said lying.

Chiya slowly turned her head towards him, wondering if she should admit to her falling asleep on the job. For whatever the reason, Earl seemed to always have the desire to make Chiya look good in front of Seppuku.

"Excellent news" he complimented the two.

Chiya rubbed her chin, "Alright, you haven't said something hostile yet, what's wrong?"

Seppuku chuckled rubbing his hands together, "Since I got first place last time, I get announced first, a major punch in the face to all of my rivals…"

Chiya smirked at him thinking this to be typical, that his happiness was only coming from the anger of others. She felt like discussing the plan for attacking Michael Chain some more, but felt that this would kill his mood, a lose-lose situation.

"Earl, you'll ride with me in the Red Dove to the Lightning track."

Chiya looked at Seppuku surprised, "How am I getting there then?"

Seppuku grinned at her, "You have an F-Zero machine, try to keep up with me…" he said challenging her.

Chiya smiled excitedly, she was so preoccupied with the issue at hand that she completely forgot about her now built F-Zero machine, which only needed a combat module so it could attack other machines.

"Is it really ready to be driven?" she asked.

Seppuku tilted his head down at Earl, passing the question on to him. "I'm pretty sure, the engine was the first part I installed, and I already tested it by driving it out of the garage, so you should be ready to go."

Chiya crossed her arms, "Alright, I could use the practice."

Seppuku grabbed her shoulder, startling her, "Let's make this interesting…"

"I'm afraid to learn what your definition what your definition of _interesting_ is…" she admitted.

"If you lose me on the way to the Lightning track, you will have to wear a black trench coat for the rest of the month…"

Chiya cringed at the thought of how she would look, "No way!"

Seppuku chuckled, "Well, what if you do stay on me to the end? What would you want?"

Chiya tapped her chin thinking about the wager, a trench coat on her sounded bad, but she was in a position to make Seppuku do something if she won. She got a devious look at the thought of all the things she could do to him, but she decided to go easy on him.

"If I win, all three of us have to do something actually fun…like go swimming!" she said smiling.

Earl nodded approvingly, Seppuku trembled at the sound of this, "Swimming? Why would you want to surround yourself in water for fun?" he asked confused.

"Because it is relaxing and can be fun, what do you think _fun_ is anyways?"

Earl gritted his teeth widening his eyes in fear at her question, looking at Seppuku who was smiling deviously.

"Giving criminals the option to dance for my amusement, rather than getting shot…" he said darkly.

Chiya exhaled, "Of course…"

The three stood in the garage, it was time to head over to the Lightning Area of Mute City. The area of Mute City was highly polluted with criminals, but did not matter as no citizens lived in that area, the constant lightning in the area made the living condition to risky.

"Remember Flower, you have a booster, but don't use it unless you are in trouble, it isn't very easy finding a restoration pad outside of a racetrack."

Chiya nodded at Seppuku, climbing aboard the F-Zero machine she titled, _Purring Kitten_. The machine was not painted yet, simply being a dull shade of gray, but would suffice for the time being as she was not racing. She looked at Earl who was boarding the _Red Dove_ with Seppuku. She looked around the cockpit of her vehicle, noticing that it was much smaller than Seppuku's. _Wish mine could fit two people_ she complained to herself.

The _Red Dove_ turned on, waiting for the _Purring Kitten_ to turn on, Chiya was trying to locate the basic parts of her vehicle, finding the ignition quickly. She proudly turned on her vehicle, marking the moment as a milestone for her, she now had her own F-Zero machine. She grinned looking at the _Red Dove_, she now waited for it to depart from the garage. _All I need to do is keep on it, simple._

She suddenly widened her eyes shocked as the _Red Dove_ darted off at full speed. "What the Hell! We're in a city!" she yelled aloud.

She quickly began to pursue Seppuku, who was going dangerously fast down the streets, clearly the police would feel provoked if they caught the two street racing. The _Red Dove_ was rounding the streets of the Lower City quickly, Chiya staying closely behind him. Chiya was quickly learning a few things about her vehicle compared to the _Red Dove_, the major difference being that the _Purring Kitten_'s body was much larger than the _Red Dove_, making turning slightly harder. Chiya's engine was likely not as efficient, as Seppuku had originally told her that it was a mediocre engine, it would be within her best interests if she scouted out one of better quality in the future.

People began to emerge out of buildings watching the two vehicles race each other, the main assumption was likely that Chiya was a new gangster on the streets.

Seppuku was grinning, trying to outrun Chiya, Earl looked at him with disco tempt, "Come on, don't be such an ass…" he complained.

Seppuku chuckled, "Yeah right, a trench coat will look good on her."

Chiya was afraid to pick up the speed because they were breaking the law, as soon as they would reach the Upper City, they would be the main attraction. Chiya was becoming frustrated, she was keeping up with him, but he was clearly trying to outrun her, she had assumed that the bet he made was more of a joke at first, but he was clearly in it, to win it. She looked up at one of the roofs, and was shocked at the sight of something, yet again, she could make out a glimpse of Red Star gang members watching them. She gasped as one of them pulled out a rocket launcher aiming it in front of the two vehicles.

"Look out!" she yelled, despite the fact that no one could hear her.

Red Star began firing rockets in front of them, leaving smoke all over the street, despite this, the _Red Dove_ continued racing Chiya.

"What the Hell! We're being shot at and all you can think of is beating our friend!?" Earl yelled.

Seppuku did not respond, simply driving past the explosions, to his surprise however, the _Purring Kitten_ came flying out of the explosions still pursuing him. "Don't worry, I think we're both on the same page" Seppuku reassured him.

Before the Red Star soldier reloaded his launcher, the two were gone. He looked at his partner who was preparing another rocket for him, "Who was in that other F-Zero machine?" The other one shrugged at him, "Whoever it is, clearly is out to get Seppuku…"

Chiya could see the road leading up to the Upper City, she was wondering if he planned on slowing down yet, but he showed no intentions of doing so. _He's going to get us arrested…_ she thought angrily. The two vehicles leaped up to the Upper City driving down the streets quickly, normal vehicles began to pull over as the two hogged the road completely. Chiya began to tremble, preparing for trouble to emerge at any moment.

She took a moment to look at her surroundings, hundreds of people completely dropped what they were doing, watching the two F-Zero machines fly at full speed. What came to her as a surprise, was that many of them appeared to be cheering for them. What caught her completely off guard was a police transport that was parked to the side of the road, she was prepared for a high speed chase to begin, but was completely stunned at what she saw. The officers of the vehicle stood around each other cheering, leaping, and going out of control, the police were finding this amusing. _They are okay with us breaking the law completely…just because it is F-Zero? _she asked herself.

Chiya realized suddenly, she was invincible, people were cheering at her as well, clearly thinking this was a street race, but all that was required to win the race was to stay with the _Red Dove_. She then felt a burst of energy go through her body, finding herself smiling deviously, she had the surge that all F-Zero racers wished to have.

Seppuku grinned at Earl, "We're getting some attention…probably scaring her to pieces" he said laughing.

Seppuku and Earl suddenly jolted up in fear at the sight of something, Chiya had just bumped into Seppuku's side, passing them. "Wh-What?" Seppuku muttered in amazement.

Chiya had turned on her GPS and set the waypoint to the Lightning Area, she was leading Seppuku now.

Earl began to laugh, "Well look at this…" Seppuku nodded in agreement, "Looks like she wants to race you now."

Seppuku slowly began to laugh, "This is exactly why I chose her to join our team…"

Seppuku had accepted Chiya's challenge, immediately pursuing the _Purring Kitten_. Chiya had an adrenaline, she had every intention of beating Seppuku to the Lightning Area, she was smiling with her teeth, completely fueled up. Far up Mute City was a bridge that stretched out several miles, this led to the Lightning Area.

The _Red Dove_ was closely following the _Purring Kitten_, Chiya had started a race with Seppuku, and the people of Mute City did not object to it. The two drove past the café at full speed, Chiya still had a look of pride on her face. Seppuku was gaining on her quickly, nearly pushing the back of the _Purring Kitten_. Chiya glanced back at the _Red Dove_, then deliberately blocked its path. Seppuku growled at Chiya as she did not let him pass her, before chuckling is respect.

"I didn't think she had it in her" he admitted.

Seppuku was preparing to make a sharp move around her, but Chiya had taken a sudden right turn down another street for reasons unknown. Seppuku and Earl gasped looking at the _Purring Kitten_ go a different way. Quickly after going down the street, she took a left turn bringing her down a separate road.

"We should make sure she doesn't get lost" Earl warned.

"No, this bet is still going on."

Earl sat back again simply agreeing with him, the _Red Dove_ raced down the street alone, now separated from the _Purring Kitten_. Seppuku looked down each street that he passed, looking for any sign of her still following him, but did not see the _Purring Kitten_ anywhere. Seppuku began to chuckle victoriously, having lost Chiya.

"Looks like Flower will-"

Seppuku and Earl were both startled as the _Purring Kitten_ quickly made a sharp turn farther up ahead, bringing Chiya fairly far ahead of Seppuku.

"Impossible!" he growled.

Chiya had taken an alternate route that got her up ahead much faster than Seppuku, but was still only meters away from him. Seppuku was tapping his chin thinking what to do, but the _Purring Kitten_ somehow began to pick up speed, gaining more ground from the _Red Dove_. Seppuku grumbled, and lifted open a lid on his steering wheel revealing a red button. Earl began to laugh at Seppuku, his finger on the button.

"What?"

"You're about to use your booster" Earl stated grinning.

Seppuku could immediately understand where he was coming from, Chiya could not use her boosters because finding a restoration pad would be too difficult, the fact that Seppuku even considered using his boosters to beat her was embarrassing. Seppuku's hand was trembling on the button, ultimately closing the lid being a fair player.

The _Red Dove _quickly picked up speed, placing itself slightly in front of the _Purring Kitten_. His progress was cut short as they drove down a hill, the _Purring Kitten_ darting down the road at a much faster speed. The _Red Dove_ remained closely behind her none-the-less. Seppuku grunted in frustration, slamming his hand on the dashboard of the vehicle. Earl silently gasped at Seppuku, he was beginning to panic, his forehead becoming sweaty, Earl could tell that his eyes were twitching angrily despite the fact that he wore a visor. Seppuku was gaining fatigue, the thought of him losing a race against someone who did not even race was a great insult to him.

Chiya still had to drive quite a distance, but the miles-long bridge connecting the two parts of the city was coming up quickly. No matter how far the two drove, people stood outside watching them in amazement, Chiya smiled happily at this. If F-Zero racing were anything like this, she would be even more inspired to become a racer, the thought of there being a fan base dedicated to her seemed far out of reach.

"When is he going to go hard on me?" she asked aloud.

The two vehicles turned around a corner, the entrance to the bridge was just up ahead. Seppuku took up the opportunity and made a sharp left turn towards the bridge, slipping past Chiya. The _Purring Kitten_ now trailed the _Red Dove_, the bridge would stretch out straight for a few miles, an F-Zero machine could go nearly one thousand miles per hour at maximum speed. Chiya gritted her teeth nervously, now that the _Red Dove_ gained the lead, passing it would be a challenge since it was a perfectly straight drive down the bridge. The bridge was wide enough to fit about ten vehicles inside of, it was the favored area for the Bloody Chain to roam when they still had nearly four-thousand members.

Seppuku looked back at the _Purring Kitten_, trying to desperately gain the lead on the _Red Dove_. "She had a good run, but there is no way she'll pass me at this point" Seppuku gloated.

Chiya looked for an answer to her dilemma, she knew that she couldn't use her booster, and ramming the _Red Dove_ would affect Seppuku's chances of winning the Grand Prix. She looked down at her dashboard, the only thing she could do would be to increase the maximum speed, but that would put her in the red zone, risking an overheated engine. At the end of the bridge, the road would ascend much lower, this would be the main opportunity she could use. If at the last moment before the road begins to drop, she turned her speed up to the maximum and turned on the air mode, which was used for gliding in racing, she could possibly fly right over the _Red Dove_.

The two continued to drive down the road, the _Red Dove_ not surrendering an inch to the _Purring Kitten_. Seppuku returned to his calm state, now believing that the race was within his grasp. Originally the wager was just over her keeping up with him, Seppuku had clearly underestimated Chiya, as she was providing him with a challenge. Chiya sat back trying to calm down, she knew that nothing was going to change on the bridge, she had to rely on changes with the road if she were to beat him, unfortunately for her the race track was only a short bit away from the end of the bridge, as the Lightning Area was not a large place. She knew that accomplishing her plan would be one of the only ways she could regain the edge on Seppuku.

"Just watch, as soon as we hit the end of the bridge we will need to slow down, but she'll slow down much more than us, that I am sure of" Seppuku commented.

Earl pondered if what he said was true, he was basically saying that Chiya would nearly come to a complete stop as they approached the steep road, being an overcautious person compared to Seppuku, who took risks.

The two approached the end of the bridge and Seppuku began to grin, "Farewell Chiya…"

The _Red Dove_ began to slow down, going half the maximum speed. Chiya did not slow down, she turned up her engine nearly to the maximum, aware of the fact that her engine was quickly heating up. She gritted her teeth nervously, turning on the gliding mode at the last minute.

Seppuku looked behind him, not seeing the _Purring Kitten_ anywhere. He began to laugh victoriously, "She must have went to a full stop…amaz-"

Suddenly the _Purring Kitten_ landed far ahead of the _Red Dove_, dropping the speed back down carefully, avoiding an overheat. Seppuku and Earl gasped at this, the _Purring Kitten_ had glided right over them, nearly crashing right into the building ahead of them, but she avoided this making a quick turn. Seppuku was trembling in amazement, she was too far ahead of him now, it was over.

Chiya quickly drove past cheering citizens, they were now in the Lightning Area, where the sky was black, storming, and pouring a constant rain onto the streets. Chiya smiled with her teeth looking back at the _Red Dove_, she quickly drove down the streets, the tracks parking lot in sight. Seppuku said nothing, simply accepting defeat with a blank expression. Earl was rooting for Chiya, but remained silent, not wanting to provoke Seppuku.

Chiya parked the _Purring Kitten_ in the parking lot, the _Red Dove _momentarily drove up next to it, opening the cockpit. Earl stepped out of the vehicle, Chiya walked around her vehicle looking at Seppuku, waiting for an initial response to her victory over him. Seppuku smirked at her tilting his head accepting his defeat.

"You did great, but don't get too excited, we weren't even using our boosters…" he stated calmly.

Earl grunted while grinning, finding Seppuku's comment very typical of him.

"Now, I need to go prepare, I'm being announced first!" he gloated.

The _Red Dove_ drove away from the two immediately after, leaving Chiya and Earl in the rain. It was completely dark in the Lightning Area, yet it was almost always lit up because of the lightning flashes that occurred every few seconds.

"Seppuku was mad" Earl commented happily.

Chiya grunted in fear, "I didn't mean to offend him."

Earl chuckled, "No, he loves what you did, but I could tell that he was ashamed of losing to you."

Chiya smiled at him, it was true that she had beaten Seppuku in a race, but what he said was true, if they had used their boosters, the outcome may have been much different.

"Very clever how you put the finishing blow on us, risky, but very tactful of you."

"It really was one of my last resorts."

Earl began walking towards the door of the building, wanting to get out of the rain. Chiya began to follow him, then remembered that Seppuku wanted the two to sneak their guns into the race, she had left hers next to her bed, and Earl did not appear to have his with him. She decided not to mention it, believing that they would come out of the Lightning Area without trouble.

Chiya walked along with Earl, looking up into the sky, "The sky may appear dark, but today made me realize that no matter what, the dark cannot truly kill the light, as it shines down on me even if I cannot see it" she spoke symbolically.

Earl turned his head towards her raising an eyebrow confused, then simply nodded while grinning, "Yep."

To be Continued!


	22. Lap 22

==LAP 22=

Chiya and Earl were inside their private booth, the main part of the booth that both Earl and Chiya were thankful for, was that it was in the form of a bunker, so the rain could not get them at all. Everyone else had to sit getting wet, there were thin sheets above the track that covered the audience somewhat, but ultimately would still fail to keep all of the rain from coming in. The unreal amount of criminals in the Lightning Area persuaded the F-Zero committee not to even bother trying to install a better system to keep rain out.

Chiya sat calmly in the back of the booth where three couches surrounded a screen, "Who do you think will win this one?" Chiya asked.

"Honestly, I think Blood Falcon might have this one, I'm sure that he practices here a lot."

Chiya nodded, "At least Samurai Goroh lost the Grand Prix."

Earl expressed a look of doubt at her, "Don't be too sure of that, if Goroh gets first, then he very well could win the Grand Prix still."

Chiya gasped, "You're right, why didn't Seppuku make a new plan for him then?"

"He has other things to worry about, I'm sure that he'll work on Goroh if he is gaining the lead."

Chiya nodded in agreement, she still held a grudge on Goroh mostly for wounding Earl on the way to Sand Ocean. Suddenly the screen switched to a live pre-race discussion with the two announcers for the F-Zero race. Earl smirked at the screen, knowing that Seppuku was going to be discussed above all other things.

"So here we are again, Lightning, Mute City, what do you think this race will bring us?" one of the announcers asked.

"Captain Falcon and Blood Falcon will obviously face off again, the fact that the two haven't killed each other has led to many conspiracies that they are not actually rivals, but are doing this for the publicity."

The announcer chuckled at the conspiracy theory, "Well what we know, is that Blood Falcon is a legitimate criminal, so I don't think this could possibly all be for show."

Chiya rubbed her chin thinking, "Why is it that the other twenty-some racers aren't doing much?'

"Fatigue and morale, most of them realize quickly that they are not going to win the Grand Prix, so why should they waste their money on fuel and repairs?"

Chiya thought about this, surely there was still reason to race even if you were doing badly.

"But of course, it's still a good time to gain fans and fight rivals" Earl concluded.

The screen displayed pictures of: Lieutenant Seppuku, Dr. Stewart, Antonio Guster, and Mighty Gazelle. "How about that quadruple alliance we saw last race?"

"I caught up with Mighty Gazelle after that race, he informed me that Lieutenant Seppuku was the pack leader, what was strange about this alliance, was that Antonio Guster and Dr. Stewart worked side by side, last I checked the Federation didn't work with criminals" he joked.

"So do you expect to see this alliance again today?"

"Definitely, the only doubt I have is whether Guster and Stewart will continue working together, one of the two will likely leave the alliance."

Chiya looked at Earl, "The alliance is void now right?"

"Yeah, he only wanted the help in Sand Ocean."

Meanwhile, Seppuku was standing next to the _Red Dove_ watching the same program, he was waiting for the race to begin in the pilots waiting area. Seppuku could hear someone approaching him from behind, he immediately assumed it was Samurai Goroh and prepared for a fight, but it was the complete opposite from Goroh. Antonio Guster approached Seppuku, his arms crossed behind his back as he walks.

"So about our alliance…"

"It's void" Seppuku simply stated.

Guster looked at him appalled, "But the risk of Goroh winning this is still at large!"

Seppuku shook his head negatively at Guster, "I can't focus on Goroh every race, he isn't my arch-nemesis, we just had a period of tension."

Guster chuckled, "I threw that race so Goroh would be eliminated, I'm calling in my favor from you now!"

Seppuku laughed at Guster's threat, "Favor? I didn't ask you to do that, the way I see it, you sacrificed your chances at the Grand Prix for beautiful revenge."

Guster growled at Seppuku, "I get you first place, and now you decide to act hostile towards me?"

"We were never friends, we both shared a common enemy at the time, now my objective is to win the Grand Prix."

Guster shook his hand at Seppuku, "Damn you, don't expect any hospitality from me on the track!"

"No problem, I don't like working with amateurs anyways."

Guster growled at him walking away, the race was close to starting, and Seppuku would be the first to be announced onto the track.

Chiya continued sitting with Earl relaxing, the fear of the upcoming battle with the Bloody Chain was still the main thing on her mind, this was keeping her from truly enjoying the race. She felt a little more calm about the situation however, as everyone seemed to be more calm compared to the first day, where they were all talking about the future if they failed. Earl raised an eyebrow as the screen flashed an emergency report, Chiya was interested at what an F-Zero emergency report was.

"We have just been informed of a last minute surprise, for reasons unknown, it would appear that Michael Chain has returned to the Grand Prix" the reporter confirmed.

Chiya and Earl gasped completely caught off guard at this, "But he can't win the Grand Prix, he has a total of zero points!" Chiya yelled.

"This isn't good, he clearly rejoined for another purpose…"

Chiya looked at him widening her eyes, "He rejoined to finish what he started with Seppuku."

Chiya gritted her teeth now shocked, "You mean Chain is back just so he can try killing Seppuku?"

Earl nodded affirming her question, Chiya sat back watching the broadcast in complete shock.

Seppuku began clapping his hands beginning to chuckle, as he was watching the screen still. "So you wanna' die huh?" Seppuku muttered at the screen.

This was a golden opportunity for Seppuku, killing him on the track would damage his reputation greatly, but it opened up a major solution to their dilemma. Killing Michael Chain on the track was a justified action, the Federation would allow this as well as he was already on the list of most wanted criminals, aside from this hurting his chances of getting first place, he knew he would need to prioritize smashing the _Wild Boar_.

"At this time, we will kick off the race by announcing the racers" the announcer said on the loudspeakers.

Seppuku grinned, quickly running over to the _Red Dove_, it was a proud moment for him, as he had taken first place for the first time, it was also the first time that he could shove his victory in every other racers face. The door had opened for Seppuku, alerting him to begin driving, he turned on the _Red Dove_ and immediately darted out of the waiting area onto the track. He grinned looking at all of the F-Zero fans cheering as he drove down the track.

"The man of kindness and friendship, always there to lend a helping hand to others, Lieutenant Seppuku!" the announcer shouted.

Seppuku's grin immediately turned into an enraged frown, he began trembling in anger at his introduction, Chiya's introduction. "Someone's room is getting torched tonight…" he muttered angrily.

The _Red Dove_ flew up to the starting line, Seppuku looked up at his private booth angrily, clearly angry at Chiya.

The announcer continued announcing the racers, Captain Falcon coming next, then Blood Falcon, then Jody Summer. Seppuku looked at the _Blue Falcon_, Captain Falcon did not appear to be exiting his vehicle, however when Seppuku looked to his right, he could see Blood Falcon coming towards the _Red Dove_. Seppuku raised an eyebrow surprised, usually only Captain Falcon was of concern to Blood Falcon, this would likely become a highlight. Seppuku opened his cockpit and stepped out of his vehicle, waiting for Blood Falcon to approach him. Captain Falcon looked at Seppuku, noticing that Blood Falcon was marching towards him, he then opened up his vehicle prepared to intervene in whatever was about to happen. Blood Falcon stood in front of Seppuku grinning with his sharp teeth.

"I underestimated you, perhaps you could help me take care of Captain Falcon?" he proposed.

Seppuku crossed his arms, "Sounds great, only problem is that the only person I hate more than Captain Falcon, is you."

Blood Falcon smirked, "Whatever… I'm actually planning on killing you after I deal with Falcon."

Seppuku laughed at Blood Falcon, not finding him as intimidating. Seppuku and Blood Falcon appeared to be the same height, and had physical similarities that made the two look like perfect rivals. The two even wore scarves, only Seppuku's was red and Blood Falcon's was gold.

"How has your master been doing anyways?"

"Strong and Evil" Blood Falcon responded with pleasure.

Captain Falcon approached Blood Falcon from behind, "So, you're working with pirates now Blood Falcon?" he said referring to Blood Falcon's sudden alliance with Samurai Goroh on Sand Ocean.

Blood Falcon shook his head negatively, "His life is irrelevant."

Jody Summer approached the group, once again leaving the same four racers to enter a conversation. "Dr. Stewart isn't helping you this time Seppuku" she stated.

Seppuku nodded, "I know, didn't plan on teaming up with anyone this time."

"You should avoid such alliances, they take the sportsmanship out of F-Zero" Captain Falcon commented.

"I'm going to kill you Falcon" Blood Falcon randomly commented.

Captain Falcon poked Blood Falcon and walked away from Jody and Seppuku, wanting a private audience. Blood Falcon grinned and followed him with his fists clenched together.

"Jody, as much as I hate to do this, I'm wondering if you would like to help me take care of Michael Chain now that he is back in the race" he proposed.

Jody stood motionless, surprised at Seppuku's offer, none-the-less she showed her disapproval in directly assisting him. "I don't think so Seppuku, I thought you had the situation under control?"

"Chain's goons tracked our base while you were visiting, either I kill him here, or me, Chiya, and Earl are going to throw our cards down on the table and fight him at his base."

Jody smirked, "Suicide."

Seppuku growled at her, "I thought we were on the same team to some extent."

"Fine, I won't directly assist you, but I will go on the offensive if he begins to make a move on the track."

Seppuku tipped his fedora at her, returning to the _Red Dove_, about half of the racers were now on the track.

Chiya was looking around the small kitchen in the booth, she found some drinks inside of a refrigerator and returned to the viewing area of the booth. Earl stood watching the F-Zero machines move up to the startling line. Both Chiya and Earl were hoping that Seppuku would manage to kill Michael Chain on the track, a very dark wish, but necessary so they would not need to fight him on their own. It was easy to assume that Seppuku already had plans on how to deal with Chain on the track.

A little bit later nearly all of the racers were on the track, all that remained were the ones that were knocked out the previous race. "The Japanese Warrior and leader of a band of pirates, Samurai Goroh!" Many of the fans began to boo at him, clearly his reputation was dropping this year.

"Rival and past best friend of Samurai Goroh, Antonio Guster!" the _Green Panther _drove right next to the _Fire Stingray_.

"The cyborg, and a fan favorite, Mighty Gazelle!" The people began to cheer nearly as much for him as Captain Falcon, but Captain Falcon would always have the best reputation.

"Lastly, returning to the track for revenge, Michael Chain!" Everyone began to boo the _Wild Boar_, his respect was now low enough to the point where being an F-Zero pilot was almost pointless.

"At this time you may start your engines!"

Chiya became nervous, Seppuku had several people on his bad side this time, even Blood Falcon appeared to be keeping an eye on him. The question was, would Seppuku throw the race just to finish off Michael Chain?

Three. Two. One. Go. All the racers took off, the _White Cat_ passed everyone else quickly, putting herself in the lead. The _Red Dove_ started the race off by blocking both the _Blue Falcon_ and _Blood Hawk_ from each other. Blood Falcon immediately saw this as a provocative action and rammed the _Red Dove_, Seppuku carefully countered this by swirling around the _Blue Falcon_, allowing the two to combat each other. The _Blue Falcon_ got the initial attack on the _Blood Hawk_, sending him against the wall, the _Crazy Bear_ and _Wild Goose_ passed him as he tried to regain speed.

Antonio Guster was keeping Samurai Goroh far in the back of the other racers, still trying to fight him, Goroh returned the compliment by making a rough dash at the _Green Panther_'s side. The _Wild Boar_ easily passed the two making its way up the track, Michael Chain clearly had the exact same goal as Seppuku, which was to kill each other. Samurai Goroh chased the _Wild Boar_, disregarding Antonio Guster's aggression. The _Red Gazelle _was in last place as of the moment.

Seppuku looked in back of him, he could see the _Wild Boar_ slightly in the back of the other racer, while he was distracted the _Crazy Bear_ and _Blood Hawk _had passed him. They were coming up on an area of the track where the track would be separated into two lanes with a blockade separating the two. Seppuku chose to go down the lane that Blood Falcon did not choose, the _Blood Hawk_ and _Crazy Bear_ were neck-and-neck in the small lane. Captain Falcon and Jody Summer were driving together cooperatively in the lead, Captain Falcon ultimately in first. The _Blood Hawk_ had slammed into the _Crazy Bear_, knocking it on its side immediately, Dr. Clash was retired from the race as his vehicle was immobilized.

"The Crazy Bear is knocked out of the race by the Blood Hawk, this will make going down that lane dangerous with an F-Zero machine stuck on the track!" the announcer shouted.

Seppuku looked in back of him again, the _Wild Boar_ was getting closer to him, but still not close enough where he would slow down to fight Chain. At this time the racers began to complete their first lap, boost power now authorized. The _Blood Hawk_ immediately boosted up to the _Blue Falcon_, Seppuku was going to continue without using boost power until Michael Chain got closer to him.

Chiya rubbed her chin thinking what could happen, "How hard will he need to hit Chain to actually kill him?"

Earl sighed, "It's unlikely, he would need to really destroy his vehicle if he hopes to kill him on impact."

Of all the races, this was to be the shortest one, as the track was basically just a loop with twists. The part that made the track interesting was where the track divided into lanes, this is where anyone could easily be knocked out of the race.

Seppuku grinned as the _Wild Boar_ was nearly to the _Red Dove_, "A little bit closer Chain…"

Suddenly the _Fire Stingray _boosted up the track, ramming the _Wild Boar_ back a few racers. Seppuku growled angrily as Samurai Goroh intended on getting to Seppuku first. The _Wild Goose _had passed the _Red Dove_ and was making its way up to the top three racers. Seppuku was just as ready to fight the _Fire Stingray_ if needed, but was not hoping to come in contact with Goroh. The _Fire Stingray_ was anxiously gaining on the _Red Dove_, not only this, but the _Wild Boar_ managed to boost up near the _Fire Stingray _again. Seppuku was concerned about keeping up with the other racers, but taking down Michael Chain was his primary goal, he was still in fifth place.

The _Wild Boar _boosted around the _Fire Stingray_, quickly coming at the _Red Dove_, the time was now, Seppuku slowed down allowing the _Wild Boar_ to approach him. Seppuku began to chuckle deviously, the two racers were neck-and-neck, both racers began to slide towards each other about to attack. Suddenly the two were separated before they could hit each other by the track divider, the _Wild Boar_ was inside the other lane, but the _Fire Stingray_ was behind him. Seppuku could feel something was wrong as the _Wild Boar _boosted ahead of him, he was up to something.

Earl gasped widening his eyes, Chiya looked at him immediately, "What?"

"Goroh and Chain, they are about to box him in!"

Chiya looked at the situation at hand and saw what he meant, as soon as the lanes would merge together again, the _Wild Boar_ and _Fire Stingray _will have trapped him. Even boosting would not get Seppuku out of this one.

Seppuku frantically looked for any alternative to getting out of the mess, but could find none, Michael Chain and Samurai Goroh were indirectly working together suddenly with a common goal. Seppuku maneuvered around the crashed _Crazy Bear_, about to enter the merged track. The _Wild Boar_ had slowed down, preparing to do a massive attack on the _Red Dove_ as soon as it exited the lane. The _Fire Stingray_ began to push the back of the _Red Dove_ as he was nearly out of options. As a last resort, Seppuku pushed open a lid on his controls, revealing a red button. He quickly slammed his finger on it, and the _Red Dove_ began to spin rapidly, a spin attack. The _Fire Stingray _and _Wild Boar _was completely knocked away from the _Red Dove_, however several racers passed him. Seppuku did not hit the _Wild Boar_ very hard, but would need to regain his position in the race before trying anything again.

Chiya slammed her fists down, "Dammit, why did Goroh have to interfere?" she asked angrily.

Earl did not respond, he was biting his finger nervously as the race was not going in Seppuku's favor at this point. Captain Falcon and Blood Falcon had not fought each other yet, simply racing each other.

It was the final lap and the _Red Dove_ was still behind quite a bit, quickly making his way past the other racers. Seppuku was being pressured to ignore Michael Chain if he had any intentions of winning the race at this point. The _Fire Stingray _flew past Seppuku quickly, placing himself up in eighth. Seppuku boosted towards him, bumping into several racers. Michael Chain was not doing a good job of keeping up with any of the other racers, it was becoming abundantly clear that he would not be killed this race.

The _Fire Stingray_ kicked the _Golden Fox_ out of the way desperately trying to keep up with the other racers. The _Red Dove_ momentarily ran past the _Golden Fox_ as well, Seppuku was now feeling obliged to beat up Samurai Goroh instead of Chain. Seppuku was in seventh place, Goroh was in sixth, the _Wild Goose _was just ahead of them.

"If things continue going this way, we are going to have one exciting conclusion to this years Grand Prix!" the announcer said to the other.

"At this point, the one who takes it all could be Captain Falcon, Blood Falcon, Samurai Goroh, Lieutenant Seppuku, even Jody Summer."

Chiya clenched her fists together at the sight of the _Fire Stingray _making a steady comeback. She would not let go of her aggression towards him until he lost the Grand Prix in the most humiliating way possible. It seemed that Seppuku would more than likely finish in a high place still, but if he had gotten first place again he could very well have sealed the deal on winning the Grand Prix. At the moment it seemed that the _White Cat_ was defending the _Blue Falcon_ from the _Blood Hawk_. She looked down onto the track, the _Wild Boar_ had just boosted past their booth, it was a disturbing feeling knowing that the man they were trying to kill had just driven past them casually.

The three racers were suddenly split up by the divided track, the _White Cat_ and _Blue Falcon_ were in the same lane, the _Blood Hawk_ carefully watching them from the other lane. Jody Summer was too distracted on Blood Falcon, she noticed that Captain Falcon drifted to the side quickly, but before she realized what was going on, she crashed into the _Crazy Bear_. Immediately the _Fire Stingray _and_ Red Dove _drove past her, she quickly returned to the race following the _Red Dove_. The _Blood Hawk_ and _Blue Falcon_ finally returned to combating each other, one of the two were likely going to take first place. Captain Falcon was about to boost to the side of the _Blood Hawk_ and ram it, but by unlikely odds, as soon as he began to dash towards Blood Falcon, the _Fire Stingray _boosted between them sending the _Blue Falcon _spinning. The _Red Dove_ passed the _Blue Falcon_, trying to stop the _Fire Stingray_.

The finish line was just coming up, Seppuku could see a golden opportunity to knock both racers out in one attack by slamming the _Fire Stingray_ into the _Blood Hawk_. He rammed the _Fire Stingray_, but the _Blood Hawk_ boosted away from the two just in time, jeopardizing Seppuku's plan, he had merely bumped the _Fire Stingray _in back of him instead. Blood Falcon had taken first place, Seppuku taking second, Samurai Goroh third, and Captain Falcon fourth.

"Damn" Seppuku cursed.

Chiya sighed, "Well that's it…"

Earl looked at her surprised, "He took second, that is really going to give him good odds" he responded calmly.

"Not only did Chain survive, but now we have to worry about Goroh winning the Grand Prix."

Earl nodded, understanding that Chiya had a large grudge for him after what he did to Earl.

A while later Seppuku, Earl, and Chiya stood in the booth in a circle. "We need to get home quickly now, we can waste no time, if Chain is here maybe we can get him as soon as he gets back to his base" Seppuku explained.

Chiya nodded sadly, "Yes sir…"

Seppuku looked at her sad eyes, but there was nothing he could do, this was going to go down whether she liked it or not. "Me and Earl will drive home, just hurry up Chiya."

The two walked out of the booth, Chiya stood motionless inside of the booth afraid of what might happen. There was no time to moan over this, the best they could do would be to get the surprise attack on Michael Chain.

The _Red Dove_ had already left for the base again, Chiya climbed aboard the _Purring Kitten_, still overjoyed at having an F-Zero machine. She turned it on and began to drive away, leaving the dark and gloomy area would bring back some joy to her life. She was not going to risk going at full speed again as she was not street racing with anyone this time, and did not want to push her luck with the police. She had her GPS set to take her back to the base again, people still looked at her vehicle in amazement despite the fact that it was unpainted and not even a registered racing machine.

It wasn't until she reached the long bridge that she began to pick up the speed. She had noticed that Earl was not as talkative, likely because he had to stay up for so long guarding the base. It was shameful to her that she had fallen asleep, thus failing to complete her part of the work. It was only fortunate that no gang members had arrived at the base that night. A quick moving light was coming from behind her, she couldn't make out what it was however. It was only moments later that she realized what was following her, an F-Zero machine, it was the _Wild Boar_, Michael Chain could tell who was piloting the _Purring Kitten_.

Chiya began to tremble, not having any weapons with, nor a combat module. She knew she was going to have to confront him one way or another, ultimately she decided to do something crazy, she came to a complete stop and opened her cockpit, the _Wild Boar_ began to slow down, the two were about to finally confront each other alone.

To be Continued!


	23. Lap 23

==LAP 23=

Chiya stood to the side of the _Purring Kitten_, Michael Chain had stopped his vehicle and was marching towards her, he did not have a weapon ready, nor did Chiya. Michael Chain had an excited look on his face as he came marching towards Chiya, she stood gazing at him showing no fear, even though in reality she was about to collapse under pressure. Michael Chain began to beat his fist into his hand constantly as he got closer to her, Chiya began to step back slowly fearing that he may begin to beat her up. He stopped a few meters in front of her, crossing his arms while smirking.

"I would have never guessed that a chick could put up such a fight against a gang like mine!" he shouted at her. Chiya returned him a look of hostility, prepared to fight the muscular man if needed. "Now I understand that Seppuku wants you as an attack dog!"

Chiya shook her head negatively, "That's not true, we are a team fighting the unjust of Mute City."

Chain laughed at her, "That's the Federations job, you don't get it do you?" Chiya narrowed her eyes at him. "He just wants us out of the way so he can take control of the Lower City like us."

Chiya widened her eyes, trying not to believe him, "Shut up! I'm not as gullible as you think!"

"He is just as blood thirsty as any gang leader, you've just fooled yourself."

Chiya ultimately stomped her foot denying everything she was told, "You're wrong, he has done bad things, but has done more for the good, like saving everyone from Samurai Goroh's pirate attack!"

"Whatever, I'll get down to the chase, with you out of the way, I can take down Seppuku much easier." Chiya gasped at the realization that he was going to kill her with his bare hands. "But I would much rather capture you and use you as bait."

Chiya twitched her eye angrily, tired of everyone wanting to capture her.

"I'll probably let ma' boys deal with you afterwards though, they always complain that there isn't anything fun to do around the base…"

Chiya stepped back grinning, "Well, that sounds great, but you're going to need to catch me first."

Chain stepped forward about to grab her, but she was already sitting in her cockpit about to close it. Michael Chain stood still laughing at her challenge she had presented him with. He ran back towards the _Wild Boar_ prepared to combat Chiya on the streets, what he didn't know was that the _Purring Kitten_ did not have a combat module, and would not be able to defend itself.

Chiya quickly began turning on the F-Zero machine, anxious to get a head start. _What am I doing?_ she asked herself. As the _Purring Kitten_ turned on, she grabbed the tracking device Seppuku gave her, pressing it quickly to alert Seppuku that she was in danger. She then looked at the _Wild Boar_, which was just turning on, she wasted no time in driving off from the area. Michael Chain quickly turned the _Wild Boar_ around and began to pursue Chiya, prepared to bash her vehicle into scrap metal.

Chiya found herself once again racing down the bridge as fast as she could, she was biting her finger nervously at the quickly approaching machine. She began to observe the _Wild Boar_, finding its shortcomings. _The machine is large, it's body is designed to easily destroy other racers…_ she noted. She looked at the trail that his engine was leaving behind him, _his engine, like mine, is a single engine, meaning we must have similar speed…_

The _Wild Boar_ was managing to pick up speed, very slowly approaching her from the rear. Chiya gritted her teeth in frustration, his engine may have been similar, but it seemed to have a larger maximum speed than hers, no doubt they would engage before the end of the bridge. She was contemplating how she would go about defending herself, his machine could make attacks, but she could not. Any chance of her escaping him intact was going to be unlikely, her best luck would be if she could reach the Upper City in time, where there may be help.

Michael Chain was tapping his fingers on the steering wheel impatiently, waiting for the tip of his machine to press against the rear of the _Purring Kitten_. The front of the _Wild Boar_ was nearly touching the _Purring Kitten_, where he would then work on forcing her to slow down. Chain began to chuckle as he was already so close to stopping Chiya from getting any further.

Chiya could slightly feel the _Wild Boar_ bumping the back of her machine, she widened her eyes not knowing what to do. She was then startled as she could feel her vehicle being lifted, the _Wild Boar _was beginning to move underneath the _Purring Kitten_, simply planning to slip her over. Chiya under pressure hit the brakes immediately, but to her surprise this launched her up the front of the _Wild Boar_ like a ramp, simply sending her behind him.

"Woah…" Chain muttered looking behind him.

Chiya was looking around confused, she had rode right off of the _Wild Boar_ now in back of him, however this put her in no better situation, but bought her more time. Chiya suddenly glared at the back of his machine surprised, _he only has a single booster, I have a dual-booster…that must be what I can use against him._

Chiya groaned remembering what Seppuku told her, boosting was not recommended outside of a race, as a track was one of the only places where you could restore an F-Zero machines energy, if she exerted too much energy, her vehicle would permanently shut down. She began to tremble, looking at her options carefully, _I only need to boost a little…_

Her energy meter was completely full, since she had a superior booster, she would be able to dart past him quickly, gaining a lot of ground. Her options were limited, she was going to need to use her boosters if she were to get off the bridge alive. She opened up the lid on her steering wheel, revealing the boost button, she placed her finger on it hesitantly. The _Wild Boar_ was beginning to slow down, trying to get on the same level as the _Purring Kitten_ so he could simply dash into her. Chiya waited until he was nearly in position, him slowing down was going to give her an even better edge come the time that she boosts away.

Michael Chain was grinning, he was beginning to realize that she had no intentions of fighting him head-on. "Come on little girl…little bit closer…"

He was nearly in position to ram her, the attack would likely knock her right off of the bridge, where she would drown in her vehicle.

"Closer…" The _Wild Boar_ was beginning to match her speed, still letting her catch up to him slightly. "Little closer…"

Suddenly Chain jolted up as he heard the large booming sound, the _Purring Kitten_ had completely vanished, now flying far ahead of him, a trail of electricity and mist following her vehicle. "What!?" he shouted in shock.

Chiya had placed herself far ahead of Michael Chain, the only way he would be able to catch her is if he boosted as well. "Dammit…What kind of idiot uses their boosters outside of a race?"

He put his finger on the boost button, Chiya had a clear advantage over him as she had dual-boosters, he would likely need to boost two times to catch her. He pressed the button which sent the _Wild Boar_ going towards the _Purring Kitten_ very quickly. As was expected, he was still behind Chiya. The end of the bridge was just up ahead, he would need to stop her quickly or face her in the populated area of Mute City. Just as he was about to boost again, he saw the _Purring Kitten_ boost away again.

Chain slammed his arms down angrily, "What kind of idiot is this?"

Chiya looked at her energy levels, it was now in the yellow area, meaning she had slightly less than half her energy used up. She would have to refrain from exerting any more energy for the sake of her vehicle. The _Wild Boar_ was even farther behind now, at this rate Chiya had a chance of losing him in the Upper City. The _Wild Boar_ would need to boost again if he were to catch up.

Chiya quickly slid down the bridge leading back to the Upper City, it was at this point that Chiya would have several looking at the two fighting. Chiya turned into the streets of Mute City, the _Wild Boar _was still coming off of the bridge. Chiya did not slow down for any of the traffic, trying desperately to escape Michael Chain. The _Wild Boar_ was rushing down the streets as well, it was becoming clear that he had no intentions of boosting anymore. _Should I drive by the Federation HQ?_ she contemplated. She suddenly growled at the thought of getting help, _What the Hell is taking Seppuku so long?_

She decided ultimately to get back to the base, but only if she could shake him. Chiya was maneuvering turns perfectly distancing herself from Chain even more, he was far behind her still but was not losing sight of her. Chiya gasped as she looked down a street, she had saw the _Red Dove_ rushing down the street, but not towards the two at all.

"Where the Hell is he going!?" Chiya panicked.

She then face palmed, remembering that she had sent the distress signal from the bridge, he was likely heading to the bridge to save her. She was on her own for the time being, the worst case scenario would be if she gets tangled up with Red Star while trying to lose Chain. She was just about to enter the Lower City, there was a steep road which led to the Lower City, this would act as a ramp for her. She began driving down the road, speed picking up greatly, she had then realized the problem that would likely occur, the _Wild Boar_ was going to pick up even more speed going down this. Almost immediately after getting to the end of the road, the _Wild Boar_ finally made the decision to boost. Chiya gasped as the F-Zero machine boosted down the slope, he was coming right at her and appeared ready to ram her quickly, the speed would send her flying into the air for sure.

"Oh God!" she yelled coming to a complete stop suddenly.

Michael Chain had over jumped it, ramming towards her but missing the _Purring Kitten_. Michael Chain began to scream as he was going towards a building still boosting, Chiya cringed as she saw the _Wild Boar_ collide with the building. It got stuck half-way through the building, the front of the _Wild Boar_ was greatly damaged, and the cockpit windows were completely shattered.

Chiya began to slowly move towards him, seeing him as a disabled target. Chain managed to back out of the building, the front of his vehicle was crushed and on fire, but still slightly maneuverable. He crossed his arms angrily, looking at the slowly approaching _Purring Kitten_. Chiya opened her cockpit window, not actually getting out of her vehicle.

"You got lucky today, but both me and Red Star want you gone, we'll get you and Seppuku both one day!" he shouted.

Chiya grinded her teeth angrily, "Idiot, you know where our base is, why not finish the job yourself?"

Chain smirked at her, "If I knew where your base was, I would have hundreds of my men storming your building."

Chiya widened her eyes in surprise, he just stated that he did not know where Seppuku's base was after all. The gang member they had found in their base must have not gotten the chance to tell Michael Chain of his discovery.

"We have spies and hackers everywhere, we'll find you soon enough."

He tried backing up, his vehicle could barely move straight, but could move none-the-less. Chiya let him go, finding no easy way of killing him this time, it would be best if she simply let this encounter go. She smiled happily at the relief of not needing to combat them so early now, if they did not truly know where Seppuku was, then there was no point in attacking so early. She simply remained still, watching the _Wild Boar_ drive off in defeat, it had become clear today that she has become a target amongst the gangs.

Chiya was standing with Earl in the garage, the _Purring Kitten_ now safely stored. He was thinking about how they would go about getting more energy for her vehicle.

"It's possible to buy some energy packets, but I'm not sure exactly how much out of our pockets that will be."

Chiya stomped her foot down, "I wish I didn't have to use any energy, but Chain would have ran me right off of the bridge."

Earl nodded approvingly, "Don't worry about it, we could always make another F-Zero machine, but we can't build another _you_."

Chiya smiled happily, when suddenly Seppuku kicked open the door angrily. "What the Hell, why did you call me to the bridge?"

Chiya stood up tall clearing her throat, "I was intercepted by the Wild Boar on the bridge."

Seppuku held his face, "I presume that he is dead?"

Chiya looked down at the ground in shame, "Um…not quite, I didn't have my gun with me."

Seppuku growled at her, clenching his fists together. Chiya began to tremble at Seppuku, starting to hide behind Earl. "But I did get information from him!"

Seppuku raised an eyebrow at her, "Information?"

"Yes, he informs me that they are still looking for the location of our base."

Seppuku held his chin, finding this information doubtful, "Are you sure he isn't trying to catch us off guard?"

Chiya stood still, not knowing exactly, she was going to trust her instincts. "Yes, I can assure you that he has no clue where we operate."

Seppuku nodded at her relieved, "Thank God, but we shouldn't waste this opportunity." Chiya and Earl looked at him nervously, "We should still press on with this attack soon, but now I can prepare a better plan."

Chiya exhaled, realizing that they could relax finally, she would likely have her handgun with her everywhere she goes from now on.

"Chiya used a bit of her vehicles energy escaping Chain, I was thinking we could just buy some energy packets" Earl proposed.

Seppuku shook his head negatively, "Too expensive, I'll sneak her into a Mute City track tomorrow and put her on a restoration pad."

Chiya puckered her lips at the idea of her getting to drive onto an official track. Earl narrowed his eyes disapprovingly at Seppuku, "What if you get caught?"

"Please, F-Zero racers do this all the time, it would be a small offense."

Seppuku walked over to the _Purring Kitten_ observing the body of the machine, he put his hand on the vehicle and felt around the machine. He moved to the other side of the machine examining both sides for any damage from the _Wild Boar_.

Seppuku ultimately came back to Earl confused, "Did you already fix the damage she took?"

Chiya grinned at Seppuku, Earl shrugged looking at him, "Well…she didn't take any damage."

Seppuku shot back a look of surprise, "She raced Chain from the Lightning Area to the Lower City without a scratch on her?"

"The best he did on me was hitting the back of my vehicle."

Seppuku stood still, looking surprised at her accomplishment, he rubbed his chin simply walking out of the garage. Chiya was wondering if he was impressed or envious of her skill. Until she could actually enter a race where boosters are allowed with restoration pads, proving her skill would remain a challenge.

Chiya later stood in the training room, firing her handgun at targets. Seppuku had departed into his office after observing her vehicle, likely working on a bulletproof plan to stop Michael Chain for good. She lowered her weapon, she had finally made decent shots on all of the targets. If they were to take on the Bloody Chain head on, she would need to be ready to hit targets quickly and precisely. She was preparing to fire again, before looking down at her weapon astonished by what she was doing. She lowered her weapon again somewhat shaking, she was only just noticing where she was working.

"Not long ago I planned on becoming an engineer or something, but now…"

She was shocked at what she was doing, she went from wanting a simple career, to having a deadly, underground vigilante group. She had already committed various crimes herself, such as buying from a Black Market, even if it was for good intentions. She felt somewhat disappointed in herself, but then realized that this job would only last until the gang war ends, in which case she would hopefully be racing.

"What will I do once this is all over?" she asked aloud.

Racing was not the main way of making money, most F-Zero racers did have a job, as they needed to pay off their expenses still, the only way to live off of racing would be to win the Grand Prix. After the gang war, Chiya would likely have to scout out for a new line of work, hopefully not having to leave Earl and Seppuku.

Chiya holstered her weapon, there was something on her mind that she needed to remind Seppuku about immediately.

Seppuku was sitting behind his desk planning out several ways of assaulting both the Red Star and Bloody Chain headquarters. Now that the fear of being attacked was out of the way, they could work on a more thought out plan that would decrease the risk of being killed in action.

Chiya opened his door quickly, marching towards his desk immediately. Seppuku looked up surprised at Chiya's loud entrance.

"Problem?" he asked.

"Damn right, you thought I would forget, but I didn't…"

Seppuku tapped his fingers on his desk nervously, "I don't know what you're talking about…"

Chiya gritted her teeth challenging him, "You're not getting out of this one…"

Seppuku sat silently, waiting for her to explain.

She threw her arm in front of him pointing at his face, "I _won _that bet race! You, me, and Earl have to do something fun together now!"

Seppuku slammed his hand on his desk, "Dammit all…" He exhaled, preparing for what terrible thing she would make him go through. "What's your demand then?"

Later on the three were at an indoors water resort in the Upper City. Chiya floated around in the water in a black bikini, Seppuku stood in the water, still wearing a scarf and fedora, but not his coat, he had a look of discontent on his face as he simply stood in the water. Earl was hanging around a snack bar as Chiya and Seppuku were in the water.

"You look like a rock" Chiya insulted Seppuku grinning.

"Shut up" he simply responded.

There was only one more race left of the annual Grand Prix, there were several racers who could win at this point, including Seppuku. The one thing Chiya wanted most of all was for Samurai Goroh not to win. If Seppuku won the Grand Prix, he would have more than a billion credits to spend, things would definitely change for Chiya if this were to happen.

To be Continued!


	24. Lap 24

==LAP 24=

Earl woke up and had been taking a walk around the base before heading to the garage. Chiya was usually sleeping at this time still, and Seppuku would always stay in his office doing work related matters. Earl was eating an apple while walking from the lobby to the garage, until the annual Grand Prix was finished, he would always have work to do. Seppuku did not pay him as often as Chiya, but was paid in larger amounts at different times, at the rate of Chiya's payments, she was making more than him. Earl had no objections to this, but was beginning to feel overworked by Seppuku, and was feeling the time for a pay raise was near. The issue with a pay raise was simply that Seppuku gained profit off of looting criminals, the amount of money available depended on how much crime was in the area.

Earl opened the garage door, which was already slightly opened for reasons unknown. He looked at the _Red Dove_, it still appeared to be in perfect condition, he did not get into any major engagements the last race, so there was little damage to repair. He grabbed his toolbox and began walking towards the _Red Dove_, but first looked at the _Purring Kitten_. He walked up to the cockpit of the _Purring Kitten_ then smirked.

"Soon I'll have to repair two vehicles at once…" he said to himself.

"Hi Earl!" Chiya said suddenly from inside the cockpit.

Earl jolted up startled, his eyes widened in shock, "God dammit Chiya."

Chiya giggled at him, he rubbed his forehead confused as to why Chiya was not still asleep. "So you're up a few hours earlier…" Chiya nodded at him still grinning, "Can't blame you though, everybody loved hanging out with me as I grew up."

"No, that's not why I'm up."

Earl narrowed his eyes angrily at her, Chiya placed her hand across the body of the _Purring Kitten_. "I was just excited to jump back into this…"

Earl crossed his arms chuckling, "You and Seppuku meeting must have been true destiny, trust me, no one actually _wants_ to start driving such a machine, you must be the rare kind of F-Zero fan."

"Why wouldn't they want to?"

"F-Zero is dangerous, one mistake and you could die, it's happened before many times."

Chiya lowered her eyebrows in fear, "Die?" Earl could see that he scared her at this point on accident. "You don't think I'm going to kill myself doing this do you?"

Earl shook his hands negatively, "No, you already proved that you can handle these machines, but the F-Zero races will be different."

"No doubt" she stated grinning.

Chiya had no reason for being in the garage at such an early time of the day, she was simply obsessing over her new F-Zero machine. She was sitting with her legs on the steering wheel in a comforting position.

"I only point this out because you seem to have a dislike for your own planet, but you realize that the next annual Grand Prix will include a race on Mysteria right?"

Chiya's eyes darted open in surprise at his comment, she immediately entered a state of stillness. "No, I didn't know that..."

"Are you thinking about not entering the Grand Prix next year then?"

Chiya gritted her teeth nervously, but shook her head negatively at him, "No, I'll still join, but that probably means I will have to find my mother and tell her of…" She could feel her eyes beginning to water, fighting a dark feeling inside of her. "My great failure" she concluded pounding her fist near the dashboard.

Earl raised an eyebrow confused, "What great failure?"

Chiya held her face under frustration, she turned angrily at Earl, "Don't tell Seppuku about this, I feel that you are the only person I can trust in this world."

Earl bowed to her honoring her wish, prepared to die with her secret. "Of course."

Chiya wiped her eyes looking slowly at him, she bit her lip beginning to tremble slightly. "I'm a criminal on Mysteria."

Earl widened his eyes at her in great surprise, "You? It must be a minor offense."

Chiya immediately widened her eyes clearly about to cry about something, Earl looked away feeling that he offended her somehow.

"I'm not telling you the full story, my mom helped me escape from Mysteria when I was seventeen, which is how I ended up in Mute City, I made a promise to her that I would start a family in a more striving place like Earth." Earl was about to respond but was halted by Chiya with a quick hand movement, "My dad… died shortly before all of this happened."

Earl gasped feeling heartbroken for her, "Illness?"

"No."

Chiya began to bite one of her fingers trying to think back to when it all happened, "Me, mom, dad, and my sister were in town at the time… but something was wrong that day, a massive ship lowered down from the clouds hovering over the city." She sighed looking down at her legs, "The next thing we know, the ship is completely shelling the city, I don't know what we did wrong to deserve such suffering, in the end my dad was struck by its weapons, dead instantly."

Earl was gritting his teeth amazed at this story, "So a ship just began destroying the city?"

"It's a largely known event called _Falling Mist_…" Seppuku said rounding the corner of the _Purring Kitten_.

Chiya slammed her hand down angrily, "Dammit…" Seppuku likely overheard her entire conversation.

Seppuku stood looking at Chiya, "The ship was something no one ever saw before, and has never seen again, far beyond any known military power, this was an unjust attack on Mysteria that has left its economy in ruins for years."

Chiya raised an eyebrow interested in his lesson, "You seem to know a lot about this."

"That's because I was there."

Chiya glanced at him surprised, "Were you working in the Federation?"

"I can't tell you what I was doing there, but I saw everything with my own eyes."

Chiya was still giving him an offended look, angered by her lack of privacy when discussing her background. Seppuku shot back a look lacking any intimidation of her, Seppuku began to chuckle silently.

"Don't worry, I already read everything about your criminal record."

Chiya fell back in horror, "What? How!?" she demanded.

Seppuku shrugged at her, "I have secret access to all medical and law related files, but I did not have your Mysteria criminal files, so I don't know much about your criminal acts you claim to have committed." Chiya was grinding her teeth angrily at him, this was going way too far. "If it makes you feel better I know everything about Earl as well."

Seppuku turned towards Earl, "Like the incident you had in Korea with the Bowling Alley…"

Earl widened his eyes immediately shaking his hands negatively, "Don't tell Chiya about that please…"

"This isn't fair!" Seppuku turned towards an enraged Chiya, "You shouldn't be able to do that to us, it's not like we can get your information."

Seppuku raised an eyebrow at her, "Life isn't fair, I wish I still had that footrest that was under my desk this one day…" Chiya widened her eyes then glanced away from him, Seppuku nodded at her grinning. "The Federation has something for me at their base, I want you two to go there as my ambassadors and see what they want from me."

Chiya nodded with a frustrated expression, "My machine can't fit two people though."

"Ride with Earl in his vehicle, ideally I would just send him, but I really would like a break from you as well."

Chiya looked at him heavily offended, Seppuku was not getting a good start with Chiya today. "Anything else master?" she asked sarcastically.

"Pick me up something good to drink while in town."

Chiya growled loudly walking towards Earl's vehicle, wanting to get away from the irritating nature of Lieutenant Seppuku. Earl looked back at Seppuku somewhat offended at him as well, Seppuku wasn't being any more rude than usual, it was just that he rudely broke Chiya's emotional conversation with Earl. Seppuku walked away towards the door with nothing left to say to the two.

Chiya and Earl were en route to the Galactic Federation HQ, Seppuku had practically kicked the two out of the base. Chiya was especially angered at him, Seppuku was illegally accessing her private information without hesitation, he seemed to believe that this was fine as if he had some kind of authority over Chiya and Earl.

Earl carefully glanced at Chiya, she still had a look of great discontent on her face. Earl rubbed his chin contemplating how he could solve the situation.

"I'm sure you had some good times on Mysteria right?"

Chiya killed her angry expression and looked up thinking, "I guess…" She put her finger on her lips trying to think, "I got to go to prom once, it was one of the only times I dressed up."

Earl began to chuckle, "I always got to go to prom, girls were always surrounding me when I attended school" he looked at Chiya who was now angry again. "But uh…anyways I wonder what the Federation wants."

"I somehow doubt they want anything, Seppuku probably just wanted us out of there."

Earl sighed as they continued to drive towards the Upper City.

Later on in the day Earl and Chiya found themselves in the same room in the Federation HQ they were in before. Jody Summer and Dr. Clash was approaching the two slowly, Dr. Clash was the main engineer of the team, he had extra mechanical limbs on his back that could act as arms, black goggles, and a yellow racing suit. Chiya stood slightly behind Earl assuming that he would be the one who talks.

"Where's Seppuku?" Jody demanded immediately.

"He insisted that we act as messengers" Earl said holding out his hand for a handshake.

Jody did not return the handshake, she looked at him with frustration, "Fine, we intercepted a threatening transmission intended for him, I wanted to discuss it with him but apparently he will have to call me later with a response."

She handed Earl a metal disc, it would display a holographic message once turned on. Earl raised an eyebrow at the disc, "Who sent the message?"

"Blood Falcon."

Chiya and Earl gasped at this, "Well, what does he want?" Chiya asked.

"He plans on doing something bad at Aeropolis, where the last race will be held, unfortunately the government of Aeropolis will not let us take matters into our own hands, so we are expecting that your boss will take care of this himself."

Earl shrugged, "He probably will…"

"Then leave, if Seppuku isn't here, we have nothing else to discuss."

_Why is everyone kicking us out like complete bastards?_ Chiya asked herself. Earl began walking out the door with the metal disc, he wanted to turn it on but knew that it would be polite to just wait until they return to base. Chiya immediately swirled around Earl looking at the disc observing every part of it.

"So let's turn it on."

Earl shook his head in disapproval, "We'll wait until we get back to Seppuku."

"What? Why?"

"It's the proper thing to do."

"He's been acting improper for days…"

Earl shrugged grinning in agreement, "True, but being polite makes you look like the better person."

Chiya looked away in agreement, in one way or another she was a better person than Seppuku. She needed to realize that Seppuku was not a nice person, and that he would never become a more kindhearted person. She was finally beginning to calm down, now thinking more of the contents of the disc.

Later on that day, the three were inside of Seppuku's office, the disc laying on his desk. Chiya at this point had calmed down and was once again standing with a look that was seeking adventure. Seppuku was trying to discover how to turn on the disc, as it was an uncommon custom made model. Chiya glanced at Earl wondering if he knew how to turn it on, Earl slightly nodded at Chiya, then grabbing the disc out of Seppuku's hands.

"Sorry, this was just getting kind of awkward…" he commented pressing a red _on_ button.

He put the disc back on the desk as a red light began to emerge above the disc. Seppuku raised an eyebrow anxious to see what the message was about, Chiya began to feel nervous as the image of Blood Falcon began to form. The disc was building a 3D holographic model of Blood Falcon. Chiya was amazed at the quality of the hologram, clearly whoever made this had good expertise in what they did.

"Captain Falcon, Lieutenant Seppuku" Blood Falcon said crossing his arms, Seppuku smirked looking at the recording. "My master Black Shadow wanted you two to be present for the unveiling of the new capital of our new empire."

"Empire?" Chiya asked startled.

Blood Falcon grinned, "By the end of this Grand Prix, we will have officially commenced our master plan, starting with the complete annexation of the planet Aeropolis, but of course if you two wish to try and stop me from kicking this off, feel free to intervene."

Seppuku clenched his fists, ultimately chuckling at Blood Falcon's threat to him.

Blood Falcon swatted his hands together smiling, "I look forward to finally confronting you two for a final confrontation!" he concluded laughing manically.

The hologram turned off and Seppuku was holding his two hands together, "I look forward to dealing with that pest…"

Chiya lowered her eyebrows disturbed, "No one is concerned about this empire he mentioned?"

Seppuku nodded at her, "For long Black Shadow ranted on about his perfect empire, but we haven't seen him in years now, God knows if he actually succeeded in making one."

Chiya gritted her teeth in fear, "Would it be more powerful than the gangs down here?"

Seppuku laughed loudly in response, Earl looking at him disturbed by his reaction to the question. "Black Shadow's empire would cleanse the gangs from the streets in mere minutes." Chiya nodded with a serious expression, "So what do we do?"

Seppuku stood up, "Obviously we need to honor his wish and wait for him at Aeropolis."

"So we need to head off to Aeropolis then?" Earl asked.

"It would be a necessary precaution." Seppuku turned towards Chiya pointing at her, "We can't bring your vehicle along, but it's the last time we're going off this planet for awhile."

Chiya nodded understanding, "No problem."

Seppuku crossed his arms, "Earl, what are the odds of me winning the Grand Prix?"

Earl smiled at him, "Very good, you just need to make sure that you get first or second place, but Blood Falcon will need to be at least third, the most unlikely person to win would be Samurai Goroh."

"Then it looks like taking out Blood Falcon will be my main objective for this final race."

"What about Michael Chain?" Chiya asked.

Seppuku crossed his arms looking away, "We'll deal with him later…"

To be Continued!


	25. Lap 25

==LAP 25=

Earl and Chiya stood in front of the transport they would be taking to Aeropolis, both had a fear of traveling on this after their last experience. Samurai Goroh was not defeated, he could be roaming space in search of vessels at anytime, the mistake the transport made last time was that it took a shortcut through ungoverned space, where no one could save them. Chiya looked at the transport with widened eyes, Earl was not expressing any fear, but had been expressing his concerns of traveling in space again to Seppuku. Seppuku had already departed into the transport with the _Red Dove_, they had five days until the final race, they were going to arrive early so they could intercept Blood Falcon.

"Please don't do anything stupid this time if we run into trouble" Chiya demanded.

Earl brushed off her comment with a hand signal, "It wasn't being stupid, I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time."

Earl began walking towards the transports loading ramp, Chiya following him. This time Seppuku was the only F-Zero racer on the ship, which meant that he could have the private F-Zero section of the ship completely to himself. Earl and Chiya began moving up the large loading ramp, Chiya began to tap her two fingers together looking at Earl.

"So Earl, what…uh…wha-"

Chiya was suddenly interrupted as Earl pulled out his pager which began to ring, "Hello?" Chiya exhaled deciding not to continue with her sentence, she suddenly began to wonder why Seppuku hadn't given her a pager. "No, I locked down the entire base, besides we are going to be gone for nearly a week, we don't have to worry about the gangs."

Chiya raised an eyebrow in interest at him, "Well Chiya did say that they have no idea where we a-" he put his hand near the pager, "That's a very sexist remark to make Seppuku…" he said quietly.

Chiya sighed not very surprised that Seppuku would make some insult about her behind her back. The two entered the Cargo Bay, walking past to the _Red Dove_, Earl put away the pager saying nothing else to Seppuku.

"He doesn't even conclude his conversation, he just hangs up right away" Earl complained.

Not long after entering the ship, Earl ditched Chiya once again in the dining area of the ship. As always Chiya stuck out as the poorest looking person in the room, everyone else wearing more luxurious things. Chiya groaned already feeling bored, she was going to a planet she had no information about for five days, she had not accounted for the fact that they could be killed by Blood Falcon, as he seemed to have some kind of plan. _I hope Earl didn't leave because he thinks I'm boring…_ she thought concerned. She was thinking back to what she may be doing wrong to lose Seppuku and Earl's attention. She then realized that she normally follows the two around, occasionally speaking, but she never seemed to have anything good to say. She threw herself into one of the chairs at a table exhaling in frustration, she held her head down in anger.

"Excuse me…" someone said to her.

Chiya looked up at the person, it was a worker for the ship, "Are you okay? Your freaking everyone out making all of those hand gestures to yourself…"

Chiya looked around embarrassed, some people were looking at her, "Oh…oops…" She chuckled silently, "I was just having a deep thought…"

The worker nodded, "Perhaps you would like to visit the library?"

"Library?"

"We have an installed library onboard, come along I'll show you."

Chiya stood up and began following the worker to the library, the two walked to the back of the dining area revealing several more hallways. Chiya was surprised, not knowing that there was more of the ship. Most of the doors she could see had an _Employees Only_ label, the door way up the hallway had a _Library_ label. The worker opened the door for her politely, holding it open for her.

"All reading material is available free of charge."

"Thanks."

The worker shut the door and returned to the dining area, Chiya was left alone in the room, there were bookshelves all across the room. Chiya walked down the room confused, _Why would you begin reading any of these, you would only have a few chapters down by the end of the trip_ she asked herself. She looked around for a section that interested her, nothing immediately stuck out to her as interesting, but after scanning the room she found a small table with F-Zero related books. The first book she saw sitting on the table was an Encyclopedia on F-Zero racers.

"This should keep me entertained…"

She opened the book, the first chapter being on Mighty Gazelle, it featured a large page sized image of Mighty Gazelle and his vehicle, followed by three pages of stories. She turned a few pages next revealing Jody Summer, she had much more pages of stories than Mighty Gazelle. Chiya was more interested to see if Lieutenant Seppuku was anywhere in the book, or if the book was too old to have him recorded. After flipping several pages she eventually came across not Seppuku, but someone else of interest to her.

"Black Shadow…" she began reading the very large story Black Shadow had, he nearly had ten pages of stories, some about racing, others about his various crimes to humanity as a whole. "Ten Billion bounty?" she said aloud in shock.

"Following the great accident, Black Shadow used Captain Falcon's DNA to create a replica of evil…" Chiya widened her eyes at the great accident, an event that happened during a Grand Prix that left even Captain Falcon on his knees. "I wonder what Seppuku was doing during the accident…"

She turned a few more pages and finally found a page on him, the image they picked for Seppuku was small, and he had no stories, only a quick introduction. She was surprised at the lack of details about Seppuku in the book, _Lieutenant Seppuku is a fresh racer with no recorded background information, he is the only racer besides Blood Falcon to immediately be an ace on the track_ she read in her mind. She felt somehow offended by this, Seppuku was such an interesting character, how could someone not want to research him more?

She closed the book as he had the honor of holding the last page, she bit her lips contemplating. "Something is seriously wrong…" She thought back to the only medical record he had, "He has some kind of secret."

She stood up and began walking out the door, she needed to finally talk to someone about Seppuku, and it looked like Earl was all she had to discuss with. She was becoming nervous at what Earl's initial reaction would be to her news about his medical record, he could be disappointed in her for looking at his personal information. She opened the library door and began walking back into the dining area of the ship. She assumed that Earl was not with Seppuku, as he had told them that he would be in the reserved F-Zero room. She passed by the installed bar of the ship, when suddenly she spotted Earl, he was leaning against the bar table talking to a black haired woman. Chiya narrowed her eyes annoyed and began approaching her.

"In the Korean battlefield I had to look death in the face all the time while repairing tanks, it was certain-"

Chiya forcibly tugged Earl away from the woman, "Woah, hey now!" he complained.

"I need to talk to you about Seppuku…"

Earl raised an eyebrow at her ready to listen, Chiya was about to spit out what she had on her mind, but at the last minute couldn't find the strength to make herself sound like a person who would stalk someone's records. "Um…"

She ended up simply sighing, leaning over the bar table retreating from the conversation, "Nevermind…"

Earl looked down at Chiya, she was tapping her hand on her elbow frantically, revealing to Earl that she had something bothering her. He breathed in prepared for anything to happen as soon as he asked.

"You look upset, something up?"

Chiya grunted not wanting to speak, at this point she had no plans of telling Earl about her discovery on Seppuku, but she still seemed upset at something else. She breathed in finding the courage to ask him another problem on her mind, "Am I a boring person?" she asked gritting her teeth in fear.

Earl immediately grinned at her looking at the back of her head, "Hell no, you have character and many stories, not happy stories, but interesting stories none-the-less."

Chiya smiled slightly, "I guess I do…"

"I'll admit, I've been curious about your views on your past, it's none of my business so I don't even ask, but you should know by now that I'm not a very judgmental person, and probably a good person to go to if you need someone to talk to about it."

_He's right, he isn't judgmental, Seppuku treats him so badly and he still views him as a great friend…_ she thought in agreement.

Earl started to feel awkward at the lack of a response, he immediately assumed that it was a bad thing to say to her. He took a step back from her, "Alright, well I have to… uh… go to the bathroom" he lied seizing the opportunity to retreat from the awkward moment.

Seppuku was sitting alone in the private area of the ship sleeping, he spent so much of his time awake that he never got to sleep. Chiya was the one who got to sleep most of all, getting more than the recommended amount of sleep on a daily basis. He was imagining in his sleep what he would do with the prize money if he were to win, and whether he should seal the deal by attacking the other leading racers.

"Emergency engineers to the bridge, emergency engineers to the bridge" the intercom said quickly.

Seppuku opened his eyes angrily, "What now?"

Chiya looked around the dining area, people were becoming more silent concerned about the broadcast. Nothing appeared to be happening, and the workers were still doing their jobs without hesitation. Chiya had the utmost fear of Goroh attacking them again, but a request for engineers was likely not relevant to Goroh in any way.

Chiya looked over the bar table at the waiter, "Is there a problem with the ship?"

"I've been informed that there was a problem refueling back on Mute City, but that it shouldn't be much to worry about."

Suddenly the lights in the ship dimmed to nearly complete darkness, everyone began panicking, except for Chiya who was merely disappointed in the lack of care for the safety of the passenger.

"Attention passengers, due to complications, we are going to need to convert some services energy into fuel, for the rest of the trip there will be little light and music, we apologize for the inconvenience, expenses will be cut half off."

"Great…" Chiya groaned.

A while later the ship began to ascend into a bright ghastly looking planet, it had a glow that almost made it look like a star from the outside. The surface of the planet was very bright, there did not appear to be an actual surface to the planet, rather it was one large city. The planet was very similar to Mute City, but some may argue that Aeropolis is better, it had streets buildings, except these were floating not actually touching the ground, the ground was not even visible as a dense thick fog covered it, it was anyone's guess as to how far the ground was from the city. The sky looked exactly the same as the ground, making the environment look the same every day. The ship landed on a very large platform along with other transports.

Seppuku, Earl, and Chiya stood in the Cargo Bay, they had five days until the final race, they would need to somehow find Blood Falcon in the incredibly large metropolis. Seppuku stood in front of the loading ramp, gazing out at the bright prosperous city.

"I'll find a place for us to operate from, you two can just roam the city, but stay vigilant for Blood Falcon."

"Aye" Chiya said bowing to him.

Seppuku nodded and began walking towards the _Red Dove_, Chiya gritted her teeth in fear of how hot it would be once she stepped out of the ship. Earl walked ahead of her already moving down the ramp, Chiya slowly stepped out, Earl stopped to see her reaction to the planet. She cringed immediately when stepping out, "It's… surprisingly cool here."

"Planet has a planetary cooling system" he answered.

She smiled looking around, "Why don't we just live here instead?"

"Lack of crime, Seppuku hates this planet."

The _Red Dove_ then flew past the two onto the streets instantly, Chiya's hair flew in front of her face as the _Red Dove_ blew a gust of wind at the two. Chiya chuckled silently at Seppuku's rude behavior and disregard for their safety. The two began walking down the streets of Aeropolis, Chiya was fearing what would happen if the streets suddenly collapsed, as the ground was so far from where they walked. Chiya was becoming dizzy at the amazing success the city had, ships were flying below the streets transporting goods to destinations, Aeropolis was likely a striving planet.

"Amazing huh?" Chiya looked at Earl expecting a lesson from him, "The most amazing part is that this is all because of _that_ one computer" he said pointing up at a tower.

There was a spinning machine with the number five displayed on a screen, Chiya held her chin not understanding, "How does a computer do all of this?"

"It's called _Mother-Q_, it's in charge of everything, military, government, even the construction of this city." Chiya looked up at the Mother-Q in amazement, "This entire planet's infrastructure is built by that computer, no workers needed, to this day it is still constructing buildings all across the planet."

"That's impossible."

"No one gets inside of Mother-Q though, it has impenetrable security, the number five represents the danger level of the entire city shutting down."

"Shutting down?" she asked in fear.

"Five means that everything is fine, but Zero means the destruction of Aeropolis is inevitable, it has never gotten past level Two though." Chiya gritted her teeth fearing Mother-Q's power, "If Mother-Q dies, then all of this will begin to disappear, as the city _is_ Mother-Q."

Chiya bit her finger nervously, "Let's not talk about that."

Earl nodded honoring her request, while the risk of planetary destruction was always high, the chances of Mother-Q actually being disabled or shutdown is unlikely, it was designed to fix its own errors and damages to the city. The material Mother-Q used to construct the city was a type of artificial translucent material. Aeropolis had several race tracks, but six of the eight were deemed as to dangerous for F-Zero racers, the odds of a death occurring being too high, the track most commonly used in the Annual Grand Prix was called _Multiplex_.

Earl looked over at a gambling parlor set up across a street and began walking towards it. Chiya grunted holding her arm out towards him, "Shouldn't we be looking for Blood Falcon?"

Earl shrugged not looking at her, "I have a feeling he could be in here, but I may have to play a few games to determine if he is here…" he joked walking in the building.

Chiya narrowed her eyes angrily sighing at him, "Just like that I'm the only one actually working…" she complained aloud.

Chiya stood still looking around the city, _Where would someone go to conquer this planet?_ she asked herself. She thought to herself, trying to think back to history class as to how nations conquered each other. Chiya was not a bright student at school, just barely passing all of her classes, the one class she did well in however was Mechanic skills. _I know the soldiers would kill each other over some kind of goal…_ Chiya sighed feeling like an idiot, she didn't even know if Blood Falcon was bringing some kind of army or not. She looked at the parlor wishing that Earl would come back out and get her started, he would know how to win a war since he served in one. _He said Korea won by crushing the rebellions leadership…_ she then looked up surprised.

"In this case, the leadership is Mother-Q."

She turned around looking at the massive computer, Mother-Q had a massive amount of weapons guarding the computer, including a few human guards, it was becoming clear now that if Blood Falcon was planning on targeting Mother-Q, he would need an army. The question Chiya had now, was when would he strike, they had five days until the race, if he does not strike before the race, they could easily be there for six or seven days. _I wonder if Captain Falcon will show up…_

Chiya began walking away, continuing her mission to find Blood Falcon, what she didn't know was that someone was watching her from above a building. Samurai Goroh stood with his Admiral watching her walk with his binoculars.

"That's her" he stated.

The Admiral nodded holding his shotgun, "She'll take us right to Seppuku."

Goroh shook his head at him negatively, "I don't care about that right now…"

Chiya entered a building leaving Goroh's sight, Goroh smirked putting down his binoculars, "I'm more interested in collecting that girls bounty…more money in our pocket, and a pissed off Seppuku."

"Her?" he asked in amazement, "_She_ has a bounty on her head, she doesn't look like a criminal."

Goroh chuckled, "Seppuku is interested in her, which means she must be more deadly than she looks."

"How much is this bounty?"

"Only Seven-Thousand, but Mysteria wants her back badly."

The Admiral did not appear amused by the reward, "We're going up against Seppuku, doesn't sound like that pity cash is worth the trouble."

"We get the loot, and I get to damage Seppuku's little gang, a win-win situation."

Several minutes later Chiya was in a video store looking at a selection of movies, she was looking at several of them in disgust. "Why are there so many of these dirty videos?" she complained.

The manager approached her, "Dirty? What are you looking for more kinky stuff?"

She looked at him angrily, "Woah! What?" she asked offended.

The manager looked at her confused, "You realize this is an Adult Content video store?"

Chiya looked at him confused, suddenly widening her eyes, she put the video she was holding back slowly, she could feel her face about to turn red in embarrassment and slowly began backing away to the exit.

"I'll be going now…" she muttered with a disturbed expression on her face.

She walked out of the door exhaling while trembling, she then looked up and saw Seppuku standing in front of her. She jolted up straight surprised, "Oh…hi."

Seppuku slowly looked up at the buildings sign, looking back down at her, "Do you have no shame?"

Chiya began shaking her hands and head negatively frantically, "No! I didn't mean to-"

"Whatever." He looked around her scanning the area, "Where's Earl?"

"Gambling."

"Of course…" he muttered.

Chiya spun around looking at the Mother-Q computer, "After thinking, I imagine that Blood Falcon will be targeting the Mother-Q computer, as it is what controls the planet."

Seppuku crossed his arms nodding approvingly at her, "I know, but good work figuring that out."

Chiya showed no expression, but felt overjoyed at the rare compliment from Seppuku, knowing that she did a good job.

"Take me to Bendek…" he ordered.

Chiya and Earl moments later entered the gambling parlor, Earl was surrounded with other players at a table, most of them giving him a bad look. "Your hustling us aren't ya?" a player said accusing Earl.

"No, swear, never played this before…" he said grinning.

Suddenly Chiya came up behind him, "Playing Fortuna?" Earl widened his eyes gritting his teeth nervously, "Watch out, Earl is a pro at this game…" Chiya warned the others at the table.

Earl cringed with his teeth gritted, everyone was looking at him angrily, "You ever hae your wisdom teeth pulled?" one of the men asked Earl.

"No-o" he said slowly.

The man clenched his fist looking at Earl angrily, Earl backed away from the table, "Yeah, well I gotta' go…"

The fairly large man stood in front of Earl easily intimidating him, Earl began to tremble at the sight of being overpowered. Chiya dashed over to the side of Earl clenching her teeth at the man, the man looked at her angrily causing Chiya to retreat behind Earl in fear. Suddenly Seppuku approached Earl from behind looking into the angered mans eyes without fear.

"An F-Zero racer…" the man said surprised.

"I owe Earl a few, so if you start a fight with him, you get killed by me."

Chiya looked up at Seppuku disturbed, _killed?_

The man backed away from the three, "Whatever…" he sat back down with the others.

Seppuku nodded approving of the man's choice to retreat, he looked down at the cowering Chiya and grabbed her by the neck pulling her back up straight. "I found a nice place for us to stay for the week, I'll show you two where it is."

Chiya was starting to relax more, understanding that Blood Falcon may not make a move still for several days, she would simply need to relax for the days she was at Aeropolis, no gangs, no dangerous missions, the only thing she was anxious for back on Earth, was to get back to the _Purring Kitten_.

To be continued!


	26. Lap 26

==LAP 26=

The following day Chiya stood in front of a window, she was standing up in a tall skyscraper. The room she was in was extremely fitting for someone like her, the furniture being very luxurious and services being much more clean than their base. She stood still smiling down at the great city of Aeropolis, it had only been a day and she was already beginning to favor this planet over all others. She held her hands together, feeling like she was of royalty, it was beyond her how Seppuku had enough to afford such a place for several days.

"Wake up" Seppuku said to a sleeping Chiya.

Chiya quickly launched her eyes open, looking around the room she was in, she narrowed her eyes in disgust, "Oh yeah…you rented out _this _place…"

In reality Seppuku had managed to locate an abandoned structure, which appears to have originally been a small market. Seppuku had generously allowed Chiya access to the only bedroom in the entire building, Earl and Seppuku needing to improvise, it could be argued however that both were thinking ahead on how to prevent a complaining Chiya.

"I didn't rent it, I found it."

Chiya swatted her arms down on her waist, "What the Hell! Why didn't you just pay a little money for an actual room?"

"This is good enough" he said walking out of the room.

Chiya sighed, then jumped into her boots and grabbed her handgun, she planned on looking more into the Blood Falcon mission, but had little more to do but wait for him to show up on Aeropolis. Chiya walked out of the room looking around the area for Seppuku and Earl, the building appeared to be void of any presence. Suddenly Chiya jolted up startled at the sound of a gunshot in the building, she looked at the source of the firing immediately revealing Seppuku with his rifle drawn.

"What are you doing?" she asked afraid.

Seppuku lowered his weapon, "You were right, my rifle is still very precise even with the silencer you got me." Chiya looked over across the room, he had shot a bottle spot on from where he was standing. "Than-" he struggled to finish his appreciation of her.

Chiya puckered her lips surprised, Seppuku began to tremble, "Thank…" he grunted, "You did a good job, here's some money…" he said throwing her a wallet of cash.

Chiya narrowed her eyes disappointed at him, "Thank you…"

Seppuku nodded looking into her eyes, "Earl's gambling again."

Chiya face palmed, "I'm starting to doubt just how intelligent he is…"

Seppuku laughed at her insult of him walking out of the building onto the streets, Chiya saw a map of Aeropolis on the wall of the room, but it appeared to be outdated by a few years. She approached it wondering what other things of interest the city had for her to visit.

"Salon, Supermarket, Betting Parlor, Multiplex race track…" she muttered reading off locations.

_Salon wouldn't be bad…_ She took the map off of the wall assuming that it was okay, she then proceeded out the door of the building. The streets were as lively as ever, Aeropolis truly was a planet for opportunities. Chiya was ultimately confused so far as to why anyone would go to Mute City rather than Aeropolis, the entire planet was an ever-expanding metropolis, it had the same temperature daily and no bad weather because of Mother-Q's weather system it created. The fact that was somewhat disturbing was that she was practically walking on one giant robot, as Mother-Q built everything itself. Chiya continued walking down the streets of what appeared to be paradise.

Earl sat down at the table he was at before, some of the familiar players were sitting there, "Hey what gives?" one asked seeing Earl.

Earl grinned, "Okay, fine, I was hustling you before" he admitted.

"Lucky thing that your sister blew your cover."

Earl held his hands together, "She's not my sister, she's… an associate" he looked up at the gentlemen at the table, "The point is, I want to play an honest game this time, I've got the cash."

"Screw that, you can stay if you want, but you aint' playing…"

Earl sighed in disgust, "Fine."

He simply sat watching the men play for each others money, Earl was not taking the Blood Falcon situation as serious as the others. "So…" The men all looked at Earl with angry expressions, "The winner of the Grand Prix?"

"Captain Falcon, idiot" one of them answered.

Another man slammed his fist on the table, "Goroh is going to sweep the cash prize, Captain Falcon will be racing against two powerful rivals, he has no chance."

"Goroh, is an idiot…" the other man countered.

"Who do you think will win Bendek?"

Earl smirked, "Seppuku, without a doubt."

"That man is a mess…"

Earl through a hand gesture of disapproval in the air, "You don't know him like I do, if he wants something, he'll get it one way or another."

"Lieutenant Seppuku is still too green to F-Zero, and he's facing the big dogs now for the win, there's no way…"

Earl shrugged, "I would bet that he will take first place easily, and once he wins the prize money, he'll probably share it with me, making me a rich man as well." All of the men looked at him in confusion, "I am his engineer after all…"

Everyone gasped in shock, "Wait…that was Seppuku in here yesterday?"

Earl grinned with his teeth, "Duh…"

Chiya did not find any salon, meaning it was likely removed from the planet at some point. Chiya looked on the map for somewhere else to go, but nothing sprung up as interesting to her. The planet was spectacular to her, but there was still a lack of things to do for the many days she would be there. _I wish those two weren't always doing stuff, I might even consider hanging out with Seppuku at this point…_ She stood still beginning to fantasize about the next Grand Prix, where she would possibly become an official racer, they still needed to wrap up the gang war in Mute City before she could practice, fighting Michael Chain and Brock Blaskovitz would be much easier now that they had time to plan. Chiya then looked up grinning, _That's something me and Seppuku could do together, I could help him plan for a final assault!_ she thought in excitement. She had a much stronger friendship with Earl than Seppuku, but she was always looking for things to do with Seppuku as friends as well.

Chiya was suddenly pushed down onto the ground by someone passing by, she gritted her teeth in anger at the person walking past her. "Hey what's the big idea!" She then noticed the fedora and long coat, "Hey wait, Seppuku!" she yelled pursuing.

She ran up to him, but felt a cold chill go through her body suddenly, this wasn't Seppuku. The fedora and coat was brown, but the man still had a visor, he was a bit more pale than Seppuku. The man grinned deviously at Chiya, revealing sharp teeth, that was when she glared at the mans boots, immediately seeing skulls.

_Blood Falcon!_ she thought immediately pulling out her handgun. Blood Falcon put two of his fingers on the barrel of her weapon, putting force on it, he had abnormal strength that wasn't allowing her to raise her gun up.

"Seppuku you say?" a disguised Blood Falcon asked.

Chiya was trembling greatly, only making incomplete words, Blood Falcon silently chuckled, "Tell him that I'll see him after I beat him in the Grand Prix…"

Chiya slowly looked into his eyes with great fear, it was as if he had some kind of power over her, a stare of death. "W- what are you planning to do to Aeropolis?" she asked silently.

Blood Falcon grinned, "All in due time…" He threw her back down onto the ground with ease, Chiya rolled away and aimed her handgun at him, but he vanished.

Chiya's eyes were still trembling at where he had just been standing, she stood up and scanned the area for him, he had completely disappeared within seconds. She lowered her handgun realizing that she would not be seeing him again, Chiya had been completely fooled by Seppuku and Blood Falcon's strikingly similar appearance with a fedora and coat. From what she could put together, Blood Falcon intended on causing mayhem after the race which was in four days.

"I need to warn Seppuku."

"-and so, she and Seppuku have worked ever since on stopping Michael Chain's hold of the lower parts of Mute City" Earl concluded in one of his stories.

"I like it, it sounds like your life could be a movie, but I feel that you may be stretching the truth about the girl a bit."

Earl shook his head negatively, "No, that girl is a lot tougher than she looks, she has already been through a lot and has never cried."

"A girl doesn't get shot and not cry…"

Earl shook his head grinning, "She's tough, as for Seppuku, he is a tactical genius, but I feel that he finds us mere expendable resources of his at times."

"That isn't true…" Seppuku said approaching the table out of nowhere.

Earl slapped his forehead in disappointment that he had to hear that, Seppuku crossed his arms as the men all looked at him amazed, "You and Chiya are smart… well you are, and I know that you two can handle tough situations."

Earl nodded, "Damn straight."

"I pay you two incredibly, if you don't think the cash and free residency is worth risking your life for, then leave."

Earl looked at him nervously, wanting to not get himself fired, "Of course I aint' leaving, who would fix up the Red Dove?"

"Flower."

Earl closed his eyes smiling awkwardly, "Okay, yes, but you run the risk of having flowers and rabbits put on your vehicle."

Seppuku nodded grinning, "I guess you may have a point…"

One of the men raised an eyebrow at Seppuku, "Aint' you the guy who is a good friend and always there to help someone in need?" he asked referring to his F-Zero introduction last race.

Seppuku grabbed him by the neck and slammed his head against the table, "What was that?" he asked angrily.

The man was struggling to get out of Seppuku's grasp, "Be- because I think that was a ridiculous introduction for a man of your power!" he pleaded.

Earl began to laugh at Seppuku's misfortune, "Who the Hell came up with that introduction anyways? It was the funniest thing I ever heard in an F-Zero race…"

"Who do you think?"

Earl narrowed his eyes contemplating, he tapped his finger on his chin for a few seconds before realizing the answer to his question. "Ah…that makes sense…"

Chiya was walking down the streets quickly, she was gritting her teeth in distress, she needed to find Seppuku quickly so they could brainstorm on what to do. _If he can form an alliance and kill Blood Falcon, the problem will be dealt with._ She was wondering if that was too high of a thing to do, Blood Falcon was a super villain, but he did have one of the top fan bases, killing him would damage Seppuku's reputation and possibly endanger him.

"Chiya Flower."

She turned around quickly, looking at a man in dirty clothes looking at her. She looked at him with a serious expression, startled by the man. "Do we know each other?" she asked.

"You don't remember me? We were good friends back on Mysteria."

Chiya widened her eyes looking at him, suddenly getting an angered look, "Yeah…judging by your clothes, you could certainly be one of my old _friends_."

"Yeah, we had a lot of good times you and me…I have someone I think you will want to see…"

Chiya shook her head angrily, "If it's Dave, you can tell him to go screw himself, after what he tried to do after prom night he can go to Hell for all I care…"

The man shook his hands negatively, "No, no…you were good friends with this guy, I was thinking we could all sit down and reconnect."

Chiya narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him, "I didn't have good friends…"

The man raised an eyebrow at her, "So your just going to turn your back on us then?"

Chiya groaned at him, "Fine…" she put her hand on her waist where her gun was concealed. "I am interested to see how my _friends_ turned out after so many years…"

The man grinned, and began walking down an alley, Chiya followed him down the alley where a lone door stood. Chiya was not surprised that her old friends were using an alley for a hideout, giving the initial assumption that they were all still doing drug related crime. The man opened the door for her, Chiya hesitantly entered the building which was completely dark.

"Why is it so dark in h-"

The door then shut behind her, the man not entering the room with her. Chiya gritted her teeth in fear, "Yep, here we go…"

The lights turned on and she was surrounded by several of Goroh's pirates, Samurai Goroh standing in the middle of the crowd with his katana equipped in his hands. "Surprise!" he yelled.

Chiya stomped her foot down loudly, "I knew it! I knew something like this was going to happen!" she complained.

Goroh revealed a cheesy smile, "Your coming with us…"

Chiya smirked at him, "If I refuse?"

Goroh's blade suddenly swung right between her eyes, nearly striking her head, she began to shake in fear immediately, "Wow…you are quite persuasive…"

Seppuku was now sitting at the table with everyone else, like Earl, he was simply there for the conversation. Other people in the parlor were looking over at their table, interested in what Seppuku was doing with everyone else.

"I never saw a point in gambling for fun…" Seppuku responded to one of the men's questions.

"So far it sounds like you do nothing for fun…" one of the men complained.

Earl looked up at him wanting to laugh, because what he said was basically true, Seppuku crossed his arms together challengingly. "Entertainment is pointless, it just wastes time, it does not get you anywhere."

Everyone looked at him with discontent, "Dude, that's so dark…" one of the men muttered.

Seppuku jolted up straight in shock, Earl looked at him quickly, "What's wrong?"

Seppuku pulled out a ringing device from his coat pocket, "Flower just signaled that she's in trouble…"

Earl gritted his teeth in fear, "What kind of trouble could she have gotten into here?"

Seppuku sighed, "I don't know, but I told her to only call me if there is no way of escaping from the situation, meaning she's in deep…"

Seppuku launched himself out of his chair and began walking outside, looking on his device for her location. Earl ran after him concerned for Chiya's safety, Seppuku now stood still outside of the parlor working on the device.

"Where is she?" he asked frantically.

Seppuku sighed silently, pointing up into the air while still looking at the device. Earl looked up confused, now seeing a fairly large pirate ship lifting off. Chiya had been kidnapped by Samurai Goroh and his legion of pirates, and was already about to leave Aeropolis.

"No!" Earl yelled angrily into the air, "Damn you Goroh!" he shouted.

Seppuku gritted his teeth nervously, "She really got herself in a situation now…"

"Well? How do we get her?" Earl asked quickly.

Seppuku held his cheeks contemplating what to do about the situation they found themselves in. "As long as she keeps her device hidden, I'll always know where she is…"

Earl looked at him shocked with widened eyes, "What? But we need to go save her!"

"How? We don't have a ship."

Earl exhaled in disbelief, Seppuku was right, they had no way of reaching Chiya at the moment, there were no solutions to the situation in plain sight. Earl shook his fist angrily, tapping his foot constantly.

"Earl, calm down, they didn't kill her on the streets, meaning they don't likely intend on killing her."

"There are hundreds of things criminals can do to a girl besides killing them, it's the perfect time to panic…" he growled.

Seppuku looked at him managing to stay calm, he knew they would get Chiya back one way or another, but Earl was right, they only had so much time before something bad could happen to Chiya onboard their ship.

"I'll pay all the money I have to buy a ship…" Earl muttered.

Seppuku raised an eyebrow, "We have nowhere to put the ship back in Mute City…"

"Whatever, we just need it temporarily."

"You would spend that much money, to save one person?"

Earl shook his fist angrily at Seppuku, "She isn't _one person_, she is my friend, your friend, and one _damn_ devoted member of this organization…"

Seppuku looked at him in shock, speechless, he could find nothing to counter Earl with, Earl sighed looking back up into the sky, "That poor girl…"

Chiya was inside of Goroh's ship being escorted to a room by several pirates, Chiya had not been disarmed for reasons unknown, it was possible that they did not know that she possessed a weapon. Chiya was not restrained in anything like handcuffs either, she did have several shotguns trained at her head while they walked however. The group brought her to a Japanese looking door, the Admiral of the ship pushed open the door silently, then instructing her to enter. She looked at him making no sound, and entered the room, the Admiral then closed the door behind her. She looked back surprised that no one was watching her at all at this point, she looked forward and saw a table in the middle of the room with a carpet. Goroh was drinking tea on one side of the table sitting on the ground.

"Have a seat…" he demanded passionately.

Chiya lowered her eyebrows confused, then approached the other side of the table, sitting and looking at tea that was already set up on her side. Goroh had a blank expression and was not even looking at her, Chiya sat down in the same style as him, grabbing the small cup of tea awkwardly.

"Thanks…" she muttered confused.

The two sat alone in the room making no sounds, Chiya took slight sips of her tea but ultimately was not in the mood for such ridiculousness. Goroh grinned at her about a minute later, Chiya immediately narrowed her eyes in fear of him.

"You must be relieved to be free of Seppuku…"

Chiya shook her head negatively, "There is nothing wrong with what he does."

Goroh did not respond to her counter-response, looking back down at his tea. Chiya widened her eyes at him confused, _What the Hell is going on?_ she asked herself confused.

About two minutes went by without anything being said, Goroh eventually looked up again at her, "At first I was considering making you a part of my pirate crew, but I had an ally in Mute City tell me about his failed attempt to do that with you."

Chiya gritted her teeth angrily, "Brock Blackdice…" she said incorrectly.

Goroh raised an eyebrow at her confused, but returned to his tea instead of responding. Chiya finally threw her fists angrily down on the table whipping her hair in front of her face, "Enough with the damn tea! What do you want with me?" she demanded.

"We're going to collect your bounty, luckily for you we intend on turning you in alive…"

Chiya gasped in utter shock, "Bounty? What bounty?"

Goroh chuckled, "I was as shocked as you, you look like such a sweet young girl…" Chiya did not show any response to his compliment, "But they did not specify what you did, only that they want you…"

"I've done nothing to the Federation!" she yelled slamming her fist on the table in anger.

Goroh shook his head, "Not the Galactic Federation…" Chiya looked at him confused, expecting a more strange answer, "We're extraditing you back to Mysteria…"

Chiya was jaw dropped, trembling at his intentions, Goroh looked at the shocked Chiya, grinning deviously at her. Chiya exhaled beginning to panic immediately, Goroh had her right where he wanted her.

To be continued!


	27. Lap 27

==LAP 27=

Chiya stood in a part of Goroh's ship in a state of depression, it did not look like she would be saved this time. Goroh decided that killing her was pointless, but had learned that the government of Mysteria placed a minor bounty on her head, and Goroh intended on collecting. Mysteria was a somewhat isolated planet, not listening to the universal laws of the Galactic Federation. Mysteria did not report crime to the Galactic Federation, which is why Chiya's criminal record was only valid on Mysteria, the Federation had no acts of crime on Chiya. Chiya leaned against a window in the ship, she was not restrained, and her weapon was not stripped from her, but she saw no point in starting a fight on the ship when she had no way of escaping anyways. Her only chance would be to get violent once she actually arrived at Mysteria, but at that point she would be fighting the Justice system, truly making her a criminal.

"You seem to be quite brave…" Goroh said walking in from behind her.

Chiya looked at him frustrated, "Sure."

"The last time we captured a girl your age, we had to mop the floor with her tears."

Chiya let out a single chuckle, "Yeah, that happens when you ruin lives." She turned back towards the window angrily, "I was already scared to return to Mysteria even before I learned that I was wanted."

Goroh gave her a displeased look, "Money is all that matters, as long as there is a reward, I feel no need to concern myself for your emotions."

Chiya crossed her arms angrily, "Good for you."

Goroh began to walk away, leaving Chiya alone in the room. She was looking at Aeropolis, which was slowly appearing smaller as they flew farther into space. Chiya could not envision herself actually arriving in Mysteria, she still had hope that Seppuku would think of something. Under desperation she pressed down on her tracking device again, hoping that Seppuku didn't lose sight of her.

Seppuku stood around the spaceport of Aeropolis, where all private pilots went to land their ships. Seppuku was hoping to purchase a ship off of someone, but getting someone to surrender their ship would be difficult. He noticed that someone was leaning against a wall wearing a pilots helmet, he appeared somewhat elderly making Seppuku think that he could bargain with him.

"Hey! You!" Seppuku yelled pointing at him quickly.

The pilot jolted up startled, "Y- yes?"

Seppuku began marching towards him still pointing, "I want your ship!"

The pilot looked Seppuku in the eyes with great fear, then noticing the rifle Seppuku had on his back. The pilot began to panic and started to run away, trying to get away from Seppuku desperately. Seppuku stood still shaking his head in disgust, failing to even get his attention.

"That's the third person who has ran away from me…" he muttered.

Earl came running back to Seppuku, holding a pair of keys, "I got one."

Seppuku angrily looked at the keys he was holding, "You're an idiot…"

"What?" he asked angrily.

"Those are keys for a normal ship without weapons or shields, we'll be destroyed before we even get near Goroh."

"Whatever, it's a ship, it's your fault for not keeping watch on Chiya anyways so we're doing this."

Seppuku chuckled at him, "My fault? I was beginning to think that _you_ owned her, but here you are saying that she is my responsibility."

Earl lowered his eyebrows angrily, "No one _owns_ her…"

Seppuku stretched his arms, "Well Goroh does as of now, but we can't waste time, I still have her location so we need to get going."

"Do you know how to fly a ship?"

Seppuku snatched the keys out of his hand, "Yep."

Earl threw his fist up in front of him, "Then let's go save the damsel!"

Chiya walked around Goroh's ship aimlessly, what came to a surprise to her was that no one seemed to regard her as a threat, she was easily walking throughout the ship without being bugged by any of the other pirates. She was finding little to do but grieve over her inevitable fate, she was wondering if she had seen Seppuku and Earl for the last time, she expected that Mysteria would likely not execute her, but the planet did look kindly on the death penalty. She hoped if she was to be locked away for many years, that she would one day meet with Seppuku and Earl again. Chiya continued to have bad thoughts about Seppuku and Earl, wondering if both would ultimately be killed while she was locked up. She gritted her teeth furiously and slammed her hand against the wall, _No! Those two would sooner break me out of prison than leave me to suffer there…_

Chiya stood against the wall with her hand against it, she knew that Goroh would fail in the end, no matter what happened to her, he would pay dearly. She began to angrily grin at the thought of Goroh's face, she could feel darkness entering her emotions at the thought of him, beginning to think somewhat like Seppuku. _I'll get out of jail and hunt the bastard…hunt him simply for the fun…_ Chiya was becoming a much different person at that moment, her frustration had finally reached a new level she had never experienced, she was officially tagging Goroh as her arch-rival, putting him before all other criminals she faced, including Michael Chain and Brock Blaskovitz.

The Admiral of the pirate crew was watching her closely, noticing that she was becoming enraged near a wall of the ship. The Admiral gritted his teeth fearful of her intentions, he pulled up a communication device hesitantly.

"Goroh, I think we should consider locking our prisoner away, we may be underestimating her…"

Chiya looked up, removing her hand from the wall and continued walking down the hall of the ship. The Admiral looked at her with fear, "Actually, I _highly_ consider doing this…"

Seppuku and Earl approached a very small looking cargo ship, it was fairly large and appeared to be able to load at least two vehicles if needed. Seppuku growled at the sight of the ship Earl had bought, Earl looked up at him prepared for some kind of lecture.

"Why did I leave you to do this?"

"It's an okay ship Seppuku…"

He shook his head negatively, approaching the cargo ship in anger, "If we die, I'll haunt your soul for an eternity…"

Earl cringed at the thought of him being haunted by Seppuku, he began to follow Seppuku towards the ship as well, "Question… can a soul kill itself then?" he joked.

They walked up the loading ramp of the ship, Seppuku immediately stopped upon entering the ship, the previous owner had not even took the time to remove his possessions from the ship. Earl looked around the ship, it was somewhat cramped except the vehicular storage area, there was a bedroom inside of the ship however.

"Still better than our base…" Earl complained.

Seppuku pointed towards the back of the room, "Make yourself useful and figure out how we're going to dock with Goroh's ship."

Earl nodded and continued to the back of the ship, Seppuku looked around the dashboard of the cockpit studying how to turn on the ship. Since they were flying a Cargo Ship, they would need to immediately dock with Goroh's ship avoiding utter destruction by its weapons. Seppuku had already explained that they could not keep whatever ship they bought as there was nowhere to hide it in Mute City, if they landed it anywhere near the base, the gangs would use that to track down their base. Earl found a cylinder looking door with a small docking bridge behind it, there was a control panel next to the door which would allow them to extend the bridge into Goroh's ship.

"Found it."

Seppuku nodded as soon as he figured out how to turn on the ship, "Good…Goroh has been a thorn in my side long enough…"

Chiya had calmed down more now, but was now inspired to fight, imagining the day where she could kill Goroh herself was the only thing keeping her motivated about arriving at Mysteria. She was still in a downed mood however, returning to Mysteria was never in her plans, but she would have to eventually anyways as she planned on F-Zero racing, and Mysteria had the very disliked track, _Mist Flow_. She decided that one last thing she could do to Goroh, was trying her best to sabotage his ship, taking advantage of their lack of precaution of her skills. She was moving around looking for the main components of the ship, primarily it's engine. Chiya had no clue what a spaceships engine was like, but assumed that it would be only slightly more difficult to work with than an everyday vehicle engine, and possibly more dangerous.

As she entered the darker areas of the ship, pirates were beginning to glance at her a little more suspiciously, but were told to let her roam freely previously, so they had no reason to stop her. She was entering an area that normally should not concern her, which is why she appeared to be up to something devious by the pirates. She was beginning to see more pipes connected to the ceiling, she could see an oxygen symbol on the pipes, telling her that these were oxygen tanks. She was clearly getting closer to her destination, she still had no idea what she was going to do to disrupt the travel, but she would do anything at this point just to anger Goroh. She slowly opened a door that appeared to be nearly frozen, the window was covered with frost. As she entered the room, she could immediately tell that whatever was in here needed to remain cool at all times, that was when she realized that this was the engine room.

"Let's see what I can do…"

The reasoning for the freezing was likely to prevent the engine from overheating at all costs. Chiya looked around the room, the engines were to large to simply destroy, all she could see was a computer terminal hooked up to the engines. _I don't know how to hack, but I'm sure it isn't that hard…_ she thought approaching the computer. She was immediately shocked at all of the confusing information displayed on the screen, she lowered her eye brows trying to concentrate.

Several minutes went by, Goroh's ship was in sight of Seppuku and Earl, the risk they now faced was whether they could get to the ship without being blasted into space dust. Seppuku rubbed his forehead nervously, the cargo ship could move much faster than Goroh's ship, but the size difference was very intimidating.

"Get ready to use that docking bridge…if we somehow manage to get out of sight of the guns, we'll need to dock without any hesitation."

Earl nodded affirmatively at him, "No problem."

Seppuku exhaled, then began to put up the speed of the ship, coming at Goroh's ship much faster.

Samurai Goroh stood on the Command Deck, one of the pirates began approaching him. "Unknown vessel approaching us at maximum speed…"

Goroh smirked, "Blow it up."

The pirate rubbed the back of his head nervously, "We… still haven't fixed the Weapons system…"

Goroh got an angered expression, "Of course…the best pirate crew in the Universe doesn't have weapons…" he muttered in frustration.

Chiya grit her teeth in frustration after trying to hack into the engines for several minutes, she growled at the computer, then puckered her lips happily.

"I have an idea!" she said aloud to herself.

She then began repeatedly kicking the computer to pieces with her foot, smashing every part of it, immediately after doing this she could hear a very loud powering off sound. She widened her eyes in fear, _I didn't think it would be so loud…_ She quickly backed away from the destroyed computer and tried sneaking out the door. She now realized that she may have made a mistake, she had to hope that Goroh didn't intend on killing her now.

"Hey!" a pirate shouted at her.

Chiya lit off a shocked look, and simply began to run away. Several other pirates began to pursue he suddenly, closely chasing her from behind. _Great going…_ Chiya was now going to run out of options, there really was nowhere to run to, she was merely running for her life at this point. She didn't want to look back and see how many were chasing her, it was clear to her that none of the pirates were chasing her with weapons as she was simply running without gunfire. She ran back into the main part of the ship, running through doors desperately to lose them, but as she continued to run more pirates would just add up to the heap. She ended up running straight into a door expecting it to open automatically like the others.

"Ow…" she muttered looking at the door quickly. "That's the docking bridge door…" she muttered embarrassed.

She was caught up with by all of the pirates, only two of them had shotguns, the rest were all unarmed completely. The Admiral walked up between the two with weapons looking angered at her.

"I knew you were a pest…but Goroh graciously insisted that we give you some freedom, a mistake on his part."

Chiya looked at him knowing that it was over, she had nowhere else to run, all she would be able to remember was how she managed to bust Goroh's engines with what time she had left. Chiya widened her eyes realizing that they would likely kill her right against the door.

"I believe Goroh will forgive me if I choose to simply terminate you…"

Chiya widened her eyes in fear, gasping at the sight of the now laughing pirates. She knew she was out of time, taking advantage of the moment, she dropped down to the floor and quickly fired her handgun at one of the armed pirates. The other pirate quickly took aim at Chiya, but was tasered by her, dropping onto the floor in pain. Chiya quickly stood up angrily aiming the pistol at the twenty-some pirates.

"Step the Hell back!" she ordered.

All of the pirates began backing away from her towards the wall, Chiya had nearly the entire crew hostage. The Admiral looked around desperately for a solution to the situation, but realized that they underestimated her, Chiya won this round. The Admiral looked down sighing at the embarrassing change of tide.

Suddenly Seppuku kicked open the docking bridge door aiming his rifle immediately. Earl came in holding a handgun ready for combat, the two lowered their weapons completely shocked at what they were looking at. Seppuku was jaw dropped at Chiya's success.

Chiya turned her head towards the two surprised, "Uh…" She smiled lowering her eyebrows, "Hello."

Goroh stood alone on the Command Deck with his officers, he had a look of seriousness, one of the pirates turned towards him, "We've been boarded by the cargo ship."

Goroh growled clenching his fists in anger, "This is ridiculous…"

"Damn right."

Goroh spun around quickly revealing Seppuku standing alone with his rifle aimed at Goroh. Goroh immediately grabbed his katana and looked at Seppuku with little fear, "Seppuku" he greeted.

"The one and only…" he responded.

Goroh grinned at him, getting into a combat stance, ready to duel Seppuku at last, a gun vs. his sword. Both were looking at each other seriously, the pirates in the deck were watching in fear.

"Here to save your girl?"

"Didn't look like she needed my help, when we entered she had your entire crew at gunpoint…"

Goroh shook his head chuckling, "It's been a slow day…"

Seppuku took the moment to fire at Goroh, but Goroh miraculously knocked his bullet away with his katana. Seppuku lowered his weapon slightly in shock, then lifted it again grinning. He fired two more shots, both of which Goroh hit with some superhuman abilities.

Seppuku lowered his rifle again clapping his hands towards Goroh, "You've got talent with that stick…"

Goroh stared at him with large eyes, his glasses slightly lowered, "Face it Seppuku, you're outmatched…"

Seppuku was smiling at him, "Two can play at that game…"

Seppuku reached into his coat, pulling out an ancient sabre, _Long Live the Queen_ imprinted onto the blade. Goroh raised an eyebrow surprised, but was not intimidated at Seppuku's sudden blade.

"I never practice with this thing anymore, but I can probably beat you easily."

Goroh laughed him off, "Please…that's a gentleman's blade, I could cut down an entire tree with one swing with mine."

"Then prove it!" Seppuku yelled dashing at Goroh. The two clashed swords and began combating each other at last.

Chiya and Earl had just locked the pirate crew in a room, Earl once again locking up the entire crew. Chiya grinned looking at him slightly, "I had a feeling I'd see you guys again."

Earl crossed his arms at her, "Did they do anything to you?"

"Nope, they had other plans for me."

Earl raised an eyebrow expecting an answer from her, but she shook her head negatively at him clearly not wanting to reveal what it was. She turned around looking at the elevator with bravery.

"We're not in the clear yet, we have to make sure Seppuku defeats Goroh!" she said excitedly.

Earl widened his eyes at her, surprised by her eagerness for battle, "Woah…"

Goroh knocked Seppuku down onto the floor, about to decapitate Seppuku, but he rolled away from him kicking his chin immediately. Seppuku launched himself back up retreating slightly, he grabbed his fedora positioning it correctly again. Goroh was chuckling at Seppuku, "That's the second time I've nearly cut off your head, you're out of your league…"

Seppuku gritted his teeth offended and leaped back towards him, Seppuku immediately threw all of his strength into some of his throws but was not gaining any superiority over Goroh in battle. Goroh once again kicked Seppuku down easily, Seppuku yet again dodging a finishing blow.

"I'm called _Samurai _Goroh for a reason ya' idiot…"

Seppuku still showed no intentions of giving up, immediately clashing with Goroh again, "You have a tendency to never shut up…"

Chiya and Earl then arrived up on the deck immediately seeing the two swordfight, both Chiya and Earl were surprised to see Seppuku with a sword, it was very random.

Chiya aimed her handgun eager to finish off Goroh herself, when suddenly Goroh completely knocked Seppuku's sword out of his hand, propelling it into the air. Seppuku leaped back and pulled out his rifle again, using it as a melee weapon. Chiya was trying to find an angle to shoot at but feared that she may hit Seppuku accidentally.

"What do you want with Chiya anyways?" an angry Seppuku demanded.

Goroh slashed his sword at his weapon not even scratching it, both the sword and rifle was surprisingly durable. "I planned on collecting on her bounty, but you rudely interrupted our travel!"

Seppuku raised an eyebrow confused, "Bounty?"

Chiya widened her eyes with her mouth open slightly in shock, she didn't want her friends to hear about this. Goroh continued pushing his sword towards his rifle, trying to push him down.

"She has a bounty on Mysteria" he answered.

Seppuku backed away from him completely surprised, "Woah…"

Earl gritted his teeth surprised, slowly moving away from Chiya fearing her. Chiya looked at Earl and Seppuku who were both taking the news badly. Chiya was immediately crushed by Earl's decision to keep a distance from her.

"Lies!" she spat out angrily.

At this point Goroh and Seppuku were not engaging each other, everyone looking at her. Seppuku appeared to be interested most of all, not realizing that she would commit a crime large enough to get a bounty.

"I did nothing wrong! I may have did things I'm not proud of on Mysteria, and I know what they are accusing me of…" she said angrily shaking her fists.

Seppuku held his hand out towards Chiya informing her to stop talking, he looked over at Goroh. "Fine, let's just finish this…"

He put his hand in his pocket, grabbing out a huge amount of credits, he threw it to Goroh who instantly caught it, "Let's just end this feud now."

Goroh stared at Seppuku intensely, making no changes in expression, Chiya was looking down at the ground frustrated, Earl was looking back at both Chiya and Goroh constantly.

Goroh ultimately put away his sword, accepting the white peace offer. "Very well…"

The two approached each other and shook hands, "Excellent work stopping my men before" he complimented Goroh.

Seppuku nodded, "Thanks, I was impressed that your men nearly stopped an entire platoon of trained soldiers on that transport."

Goroh pointed at Earl, "Hey, sorry for stabbing you before…" Earl lowered his eyebrows jaw dropped at what was happening, "To be fair you did have that coming after doing so much damage to my crew, no hard feelings…"

Earl began to tremble, "Yeah…no problem."

Chiya was staring at the two also with amazement, her face was red and her feelings crushed, but she was amazed at how fast things were going, Goroh was suddenly acting like a friend. Chiya looked at Earl angrily, then proceeded back to the elevator alone.

In the end, the three got out of the situation without a problem, but Chiya had now realized just how trusting Earl really was of her, something that would take healing. Days remained until the final race, Chiya would inform Seppuku about her experience with Blood Falcon once they got back to Aeropolis.

To be continued!


	28. Lap 28

==LAP 28=

The day had passed and everyone was safely back on Aeropolis, Samurai Goroh and Lieutenant Seppuku had reached a truce at last. Chiya was heavily offended by Seppuku and Earl's initial reactions upon hearing about her having a bounty on Mysteria. Despite the fact that Seppuku and Earl had come to save Chiya, she rode back to Aeropolis with them demanding privacy from the two. The final race was approaching quickly, and with every passing day, more and more people began to gather on Aeropolis. Before Chiya had gone to bed upset, she informed Seppuku about Blood Falcon's intentions to strike Aeropolis _after_ the race.

Earl walked down the abandoned store that they were using for the week, looking around for Seppuku. He entered the main area of the building, Seppuku was sitting at the counter with his fedora tilted over his eyes, he was treating the counter like his desk in Mute City. Earl approached Seppuku slowly moving towards the counter, Seppuku sat motionless as if he were sleeping.

"What?" he muttered, knowing that Earl was approaching.

"Does the Red Dove need any maintenance or anything?"

"No."

Earl looked at him with discontent, Seppuku did not appear interested in talking, as he continued to sit still. Earl held his chin contemplating what to do for the day.

"Perhaps I could-"

"I don't care what you do, now leave me be."

Earl smirked at Seppuku, "Fine, I'll just wait until Chiya wakes up." Seppuku grinned slightly looking up at him, "Maybe she won't be as much of a bore."

"She isn't here."

Earl immediately looked surprised, "She gets captured, and she's already roaming the streets alone?"

"She still seemed pretty mad, personally I love it when she gets this way."

Earl chuckled a little at Seppuku, "I bet you were aggravating her again…" Seppuku looked back down not responding to him, signaling that he was done talking.

Earl sighed walking away from Seppuku, it was difficult to tell the difference between him being tired and simply wanting to be alone. Earl decided it would be within his best interests to find Chiya and try to cheer her up.

Chiya sat alone in the cantina of the gambling parlor. Chiya did not drink alcohol, so she drank anything else that was offered at the table, she did not even drink wine. She was sitting alone with her stock hat lowered more than usual, holding her cheek sadly leaning against the counter. She gritted her teeth with her mouth slightly open, contemplating about everything she had went through at this point, she made many accomplishments for Seppuku's organization, even getting an F-Zero machine nearly complete, but at the same time she had broken various laws, committed murder against gangsters, she was Seppuku's puppet.

Earl suddenly threw himself into the chair next to Chiya having found her, Chiya immediately glanced over at him and then swatted her arms down, looking slightly away from him.

"So now we're good with Goroh, crazy stuff huh?" Earl asked while grinning.

Chiya did not respond to him, simply giving him a cold unresponsive grunt. Earl's grin was immediately broken realizing that Chiya was more angry than her first thought. He sat feeling awkward, wondering if she would ever respond to him, he was assuming that she was just in a bad mood. Chiya's blazing right eye just slightly became visible as she barely turned her head.

"You should be careful around me, I'm wanted on a planet, I may have the urge to kill you" she said sarcastically.

Earl raised an eyebrow confused at her, not knowing how to respond to that, Chiya momentarily turned her head away from him again. Earl was trying to figure out how one little bit of information about her could create such a hostile girl. She was clearly bothered by his presence, but at the same time seemed like she was trying to prove some kind of point to him. Earl had then realized that she wasn't angry at the bounty announcement, she was mad at him.

"What's bothering you?"

"Nothing."

Earl exhaled feeling pressured by her, he had no idea what he could have done to possibly upset her so much. "Yeah, well that's obviously not true." Chiya clenched her fist angrily shaking it, "Trust me, it doesn't concern me what you did on your planet, I don't really need to know."

"Yeah, you don't."

Earl groaned frustrated, already knowing that making progress with her was going to be difficult. Chiya took a sip from her glass, she was drinking some kind of blood red looking beverage. Earl studied the glass trying desperately to find something to say to her that would lure her out of the devoted anger.

"So what'cha drinking?"

Chiya roughly placed the glass back on the table, "I have to get back to work."

Earl lowered his eyebrows angrily, "Dammit why are you so mad at me?"

Chiya launched out of her seat preparing to leave, but spun around towards him so fast that her hair whipped her shoulder. "You don't really like me, you're just using me because you are bored at your job!" she spat out accusingly, Earl widened his eyes in shock at her, "You made it pretty clear that you would leave me instantly in situations yesterday when you crept away from me."

Earl looked at her angrily, "Are you serious?" he stood up looking at her in shock, "You're mad at me, because of an initial reaction?"

The left side of Chiya's mouth was twitching as she looked at him, she had a furious expression, Earl only had a challenging look on his face. Several people in the building were watching the two, finding entertainment in the two's shouting. Chiya shook her head negatively at him slowly, seeing a different side to the problem than Earl did.

"Please leave me alone Earl" she concluded walking out of the gambling area.

Earl watched her leave, completely caught off guard at her reasoning for being angry, it was a clear overreaction to Earl, but not to Chiya. The question Earl had now was whether it would be wise to continue working on her, or let it be, hoping that she would get over it eventually. Earl remained in the exact same position, finding Chiya's reasoning more ridiculous the more he thought about it.

Chiya walked down the streets of Aeropolis, clearly not actually doing anything work related. Chiya had a furious looking expression, but was slowly turning back into a sad look. She sighed lowering her head as she walked, she wasn't only angry at Earl, she had somewhat of a temper towards Seppuku as well, but only because Seppuku was someone who supported Chiya being in an angry mood. She was going to have to deal with the two however, expecting things to change for the better in the future, but she had no intentions of attaching herself to Earl anymore. She stood still and exhaled, trying to calm down for the time being, it was only the past day that she had encountered Blood Falcon on the streets, he clearly had several advantages over her, specifically his abnormal strength.

_What was he doing up here?_ she wondered. Chiya no longer had the lust for killing, now back to her pacifist ways, she still hated Samurai Goroh but no longer had any justification to kill him. Blood Falcon on the other hand was a super villain who had already committed many crimes, it would be doing the right thing to take him out. Chiya was still bothered by Seppuku and Earl's lack of precaution, Blood Falcon could be playing a ruse on them, but only Chiya seemed to realize the importance of staying vigilant. Despite her mood, she was still excited to see if Seppuku could pull off first place in this final race, which would make him winner of the Grand Prix by just a sliver of points.

Chiya later on approached the race track to see what it looks like, the doors were all closed, yet several people were around the entrance. Stands selling racer souvenirs were already set up and getting business, there appeared to be less than usual, but the racers who had a chance of winning the Grand Prix had the most publicity at their stands. Chiya walked through the crowd and saw a Samurai Goroh stand, it was full of replica swords, Japanese headbands, glasses, and toys relevant to Samurai Goroh. She was puzzled as to how he can go from a hated racer to a beloved one, just because he had a chance to win the Grand Prix. She turned her head and saw even more people surrounding a Blood Falcon stand, she was appalled at the idea that people actually liked him, no one else knew that he was planning on attacking Aeropolis however. She noticed that the stand sold helmets similar to Blood Falcon's, they did not appear as real as the broken helmet Seppuku had back at the base. It was then that she saw something for the first time ever, a Seppuku stand. She immediately widened her eyes in shock, approaching it, even more surprising was that there was several people around the stand.

Chiya approached the stand looking at all of the items for sale: fedoras, scarves, toy models of the _Red Dove_, and even posters. One thing especially caught her eye however, pictures of the _Red Dove_, next to the pictures was a sign; _autographed_. The price for the _autographed_ pictures were fairly high, but the salesman was getting purchases none-the-less. The salesman turned towards Chiya with a smirk on his face, he put his hands on the pictures prepared to make a sale.

"Another Seppuku fan here for an autograph? You should buy one while they're cheap, before he becomes more famous…" he said trying to haggle Chiya.

Chiya gave him a bland stare, other fans looking at the autographed pictures. Chiya narrowed her eyes at him accusingly, "These are fake."

The salesman raised an eyebrow, "Not true, Lieutenant Seppuku signed every one of these."

"When?"

The salesman lowered his eyebrows nervously, "Yesterday."

"Funny, because I'm one of his workers, and as I recall he was staying isolated behind his desk most of the day." The salesman began to twitch at her angrily, "-and besides, he would never sign an autograph, not even for me."

"Alright, alright, get out of here crazy woman…" the salesman spat out trying to get her away.

"I want my money back!" a fan shouted at him.

The salesman was suddenly being swarmed by angry customers, Chiya watched his stand get invaded by the angry mob. The salesman completely disappeared as he was quickly surrounded by angry fans, Chiya suddenly found Samurai Goroh fans begin to walk in front of her.

"You should all save your money, there's no way Seppuku will win the Grand Prix!" the Goroh fan shouted.

Seppuku fans then turned around facing the group of Goroh fans angrily, "You looking for a fight?" a Seppuku fan demanded.

Chiya was standing in the middle of the two groups, both sides looked prepared to clash with each other angrily. Chiya looked around desperately for a way to escape from the crowd, angry fans were boxing her in, preparing to charge at each other, she would be swept up in the fight if she did not escape. Chiya then widened her eyes in shock as Earl began pulling her arm, pulling her away from the crowd safely. Chiya immediately whipped her arm out of his grasp angrily and began to walk away. Earl moaned in frustration, following her closely.

"Come on Chi', this isn't a good reason to be angry at me."

"Do you plan on stalking me all day?"

Earl rubbed the back of his neck feeling awkward, "Well, no, but I much prefer you being your happy self…"

"I am happy!" she spat angrily.

Earl face palmed desperately wanting things back the way they were, "I would leave you alone, but I feel like you are going to keep acting like this if I don't try and fix you."

Chiya grinded her teeth angrily, "Fix me? I'm not the one who has trust issues!"

"I don't _have _trust issues, it was a stupid initial reaction I made, nothing big, you're just overreacting."

Chiya sarcastically chuckled, "You clearly don't know anything about how women feel."

"I had plenty female friends and girlfriends back in High School, I'm pretty sure I do."

"Why are you still pestering me?" she asked annoyed.

"Because, I just want this random tension over with, just tell me what I can do to please you already…"

Chiya stopped moving, moaning angrily at him, she pulled the map she took off the wall previously and handed it to Earl. Earl raised an eyebrow wondering what she was going to ask of him, Chiya opened the map roughly and immediately pointed at an alley on the map.

"There is something at this alley I need, go get it" she said coldly.

Earl rubbed his head looking at the alley, "What am I looking for?"

Chiya had already begun walking away still clearly angry, Earl let her go and decided to go to the alley in search of what Chiya needs from there. Chiya continued her walk down the streets not showing any signs of emotion, she decided that she would return to the gambling parlor, hoping to not get bothered this time.

Earl walked down the streets of Aeropolis trying to locate the alley she pointed at on the map, he had to make sure he didn't forget which alley she had shown him. "This is so obscure…" he muttered referring to the situation he was in with Chiya.

He was trying to maneuver around the many people on the streets while keeping his finger on the alley. _The Hell could she want that's in an alley?_ he wondered as he walked. The city was so large, making traveling on foot fairly difficult, Seppuku insisted that they never bring any vehicles along with them to planets. Earl was beginning to understand that he made a mistake onboard Goroh's ship, but the fact that Chiya was angry at him simply for taking a few steps away from her was incredible. Earl was close to simply honoring her wish and staying away from her, but was determined to complete his assignment for her, hoping that it would fix everything.

Earl stopped in front of an alley, he looked down the alley somewhat in fear, Aeropolis had one of the lowest crime rates in the galaxy, but he still had to be ready for anything to happen. He began walking down the alley, scanning the area for anything that may be of interest to someone like Chiya. He had already come to the end of the alley, not finding anything, he looked around completely confused. _Would have helped if she told me what to find…_ he thought angrily. Earl continued to look around the alley for nearly five minutes, he was finding nothing that would possibly be of interest, only dust and dirt. Earl began to contemplate about this strange mission, before widening his eyes, he face palmed while moaning, realizing that this was just a ploy to get him to leave her alone.

A few hours passed and Chiya was once again sitting at the counter of the gambling parlor's cantina, she was sketching on a piece of paper while drinking. She was drawing a picture of a chibi styled cat, she was trying to come up with a unique emblem to put on her F-Zero machine once it was finished. The problem Chiya had was that Earl would be the one that finishes her vehicle, unless a solution to her anger was found, it would be a tension filled process. She ultimately decided that it was time to head back to the abandoned store, prepared to quickly isolate herself in her room again. She put the sketch of the cat face in her pocket and left the parlor. The sky was now a dark blue color, Mother-Q determined when it was day and night, setting the color and brightness of the sky.

Chiya began walking down the streets of Aeropolis, trying to enjoy the beautiful artificial night Aeropolis delivered, the temperature was also dropped to a more realistic level to simulate what nighttime feels like on other planets. The planet had no curfew, so people were still moving around the city normally, it was much more quiet than usual. Chiya was still anxious to get back home on Mute City for the sole reason that she could continue driving her F-Zero machine, it was all Chiya could think about when she thought of Earth.

Later on, Chiya was nearing their current place of residency, she was hoping she would not have to speak with Seppuku, as he would only make Chiya more angry. Inside of the store Earl and Seppuku spoke in front of the counter, Seppuku now more motivated to speak.

"She's just been so weird today…" Earl complained.

"Of course she has, Chiya's weird" Seppuku proclaimed.

Earl did not respond to him, but was not objecting to him like usual either, he was beginning to believe that Chiya may be a little overly dramatic, not weird. Earl jolted up as he heard the door to the building finally open, Chiya rushing through the room quickly. Earl turned around somewhat frustrated at her, Seppuku raised an eyebrow, interested to see what happens.

"Chiya!" Earl yelled across the room in a demanding tone, Chiya came to a stop but did not look over at him. "What the Hell was the point of sending me to that alley?"

Chiya looked more to her left, hiding her face even more, "I was trying to get rid of you."

Earl gritted his teeth angrily, "Dammit Chiya, I have been trying to resolve this all day, why the Hell can you not see that you are overreacting?"

Chiya angrily turned towards Earl angrily, looking him in the eyes, "I expected Seppuku to react like an idiot on that ship, but not you…"

Seppuku crossed his arms angrily at Chiya, Earl clenched his fists becoming more fired up, "In all of my life, I've had many people get pissed at me at some point, but I have never, in my life, seen anyone get angry over something as little as this!"

Chiya narrowed her eyes angrily at him, "I bet you wouldn't have even come to rescue me if you knew that I had a bounty…"

Earl stomped his foot down, "Dammit, I'm sick of this, your demonizing me as some kind of lowlife self-centered bandit!" Seppuku looked at Earl surprised, he never expected either of the two to ever enter such a loud rage. "I truly want to remain good friends, but right now I'm finding that _really _hard because you're being such a flamboyant bit-"

Earl stopped himself quickly, but had already made the mistake of starting the insult. Chiya gazed at him with full fury grinding her teeth, she pulled out her handgun and fired towards Earl. Earl gasped and cringed immediately in complete shock, he slowly opened his eyes and saw that Chiya nearly shot his foot. He looked up at Chiya who was angrily holding the smoking handgun towards him, she was trembling greatly as she held the handgun. Earl was jaw dropped, amazed at what she had just done, Earl had clearly provoked her accidentally by nearly cussing at her, but the line was drawn when she fired at him.

"Calm down…" Seppuku demanded calmly aiming his rifle at Chiya's head.

Chiya began to twitch, lowering her eyebrows disturbed at what she had just done, a few inches and she could have killed Earl. Despite her offense towards him, she continued to display a look of anger and discontent. She lowered her handgun, shaking completely startled, she holstered her handgun slowly regretting her action.

Earl looked up, still startled at Chiya's actions, he returned a hostile look to her shaking his head negatively. The two continued to stare at each other, both now having reason to be mad at each other.

"I never would have guessed someone would let such a foolish overreaction turn into a near murder." Chiya did not respond to him, completely silenced by what had just happened, but she still had a look of hate on her face. Earl closed his eyes puckering his lips distraught, "I guess you made your point then."

Seppuku lowered his rifle slowly, realizing that his organization was about to take a turn for the worst. Earl began walking away from the two towards the door, he showed no intentions of trying to fix the friendship anymore after what she just pulled.

"I'll gladly work on your F-Zero machine for you, even heal you when needed, but I don't need this crap right now" he concluded leaving the building.

Chiya stood still watching Earl depart, she watched as his silhouette quickly moved down the dark streets of Aeropolis alone. She still had her teeth clenched together, but it was easy for Seppuku to see that Chiya's eyes were beginning to water greatly. Earl and Chiya's attitudes were no longer working in Seppuku's favor, while the two were currently more aggressive, they were also divided. Chiya blinked her eyes constantly, getting the water out of her eyes.

"Why are you doing this to yourself child?" Seppuku asked.

Chiya turned around defensively, "I'm protecting myself, he will betray me as soon as I get in real danger…" Seppuku continued to look at Chiya, not amused by her answer, "That's the truth!" she said trying to convince him.

Seppuku shook his head negatively, "Who the Hell are you trying to convince right now?" Chiya widened her eyes slightly looking at him, "Me or you?" he concluded.

To be continued!


	29. Lap 29

==LAP 29=

The remaining days had gone by, the day of the final race was here at last, and by the end of the day someone would be going home with more than a billion credits. The past days had been very difficult for Seppuku, as his two associates were now divided against each other, not only were they arguing on a daily basis, but now they both fought to gain Seppuku's support. Seppuku found both Chiya and Earl's reasoning to be idiotic, not siding with either of the two. Luckily, Chiya and Earl had finally come to more of an understanding with each other, simply agreeing to stop combating each other and continue working together, but they no longer worked as friends.

Seppuku, Earl, and Chiya all walked together towards the race track, they had plenty of time before the race would begin, Seppuku would have gladly taken the _Red Dove_, but he already had it stored at the race track, so he would have to deal with the awkwardness of the two's tension. Earl and Chiya both walked alongside Seppuku from different sides.

Earl looked up at Seppuku as they walked, "So do you think you can pull this off?"

Before Seppuku could answer, Chiya already was looking at Earl, "Of course he'll win."

"I didn't ask you Chiya."

"But you're doubting your friends, _again_."

The two were already looking at each other hostilely, Seppuku clenched his fists angrily moaning at the two frustrated. "I'm getting really sick of you two."

Chiya grinned looking back at him, "I'm sorry, I'm just trying to keep your spirits up!" she said joyfully to Seppuku.

Earl shook his head negatively, he knew he was going to need to win Seppuku's favor over Chiya before he got teamed up on. Whoever got Seppuku's support would likely be on the winning side, at first he appeared to favor Earl after Chiya fired her weapon towards him, but ever since Earl began retaliating rather than trying to calm her down, Seppuku was entering a policy of neutrality. Seppuku was thankful that he did not have to deal with the two while he raced, he never would have guessed that a happy and playful Chiya was the superior one.

"Bendek, you still have those communication devices in the Red Dove right?" Earl widened his eyes shocked, "I know condemned using them before to speak to you during a race, but this is for the grand prize, I think it would be helpful if I could speak to you during the race."

Earl looked away rubbing his head awkwardly, "Yeah…I actually installed the device inside of the Purring Kitten…"

Chiya looked at him surprised, Seppuku growled, "Why would you do that? What does Chiya need it for?"

"I originally thought I could talk to Chiya on the track, but clearly I won't be doing that now."

Seppuku shook his head negatively, "Idiot…"

Chiya tugged his arm, "When we get back we could uninstall it and put it in the Red Dove instead" she proposed.

Seppuku swatted her arm away, "-and you, stop sucking up to me, it's not getting you anywhere."

Seppuku silenced both Earl and Chiya, they continued to walk down the streets quietly, Seppuku was becoming impatient with the two's immaturity. The two continued to glance over at each other occasionally wanting to go at each other again, but Seppuku was acting like a teacher, prepared to scold them whenever necessary.

"So who gets to stay up in the F-Zero booth? Me or Chiya?"

Chiya immediately shot a challenging look at him, "Obviously me since I'm learning how to become an F-Zero racer!"

"But I need to study closely what parts of the Red Dove he damages."

"No you don't, you just spot everything inside of that damn garage of yo-"

Seppuku grabbed both of their heads roughly silencing both of them instantly, "You two will both remain in that booth, if any one of you leaves that booth, I'm kicking both of your asses out of this organization for good!" he threatened.

Chiya looked at him in fear, "But-"

"I'll kick _you_ right back onto the gang infested streets…" he spun around towards Earl, "-and _you_ can return to Korea, having to deal with those loan sharks!" Earl silently gasped not wanting this to happen.

Seppuku exhaled, he was beginning to realize just how useless these two were to him when they fought amongst each other, "I can easily find two other employees, but it would be painful losing two great assets."

Chiya and Earl nodded, they did not like the idea of sticking with each other up in the booth like they usually do, but they would have to deal with it. Seppuku felt that it would be up to him to bring the two back together as friends, but the fact that this was up to Seppuku was not necessarily a good thing.

The three arrived at the race track and was inside of their booth, the entire track was surrounded with millions of fans, this would without a doubt be the most thrilling race yet, as there were so many possibilities for winners. Seppuku stood looking at the two, he managed to get them to stand together as he was prepared to give them further instructions.

"Since you two insist on being children, I will treat you like children by laying down some rules."

The two both moaned at the sound of this, naturally; neither of the two believed that they were being childish. Seppuku crossed his arms, "Firstly, as I said, if one of you try and leave this booth, both of you are getting the boot."

Chiya widened her eyes beginning to panic, "What if I need to go to the restroom!"

"Too bad, secondly; if you two get in any physical fights, I will turn both of you into the authorities." He pointed at Chiya, "Mysterian Police" then pointed at Earl, "Manchurian board for war crimes."

Both looked at him in fear, understanding that Seppuku meant business, if either of them screwed up, they were done for. Seppuku studied the two, it was clear that they both understood the rules perfectly. Seppuku nodded and began to walk away slowly while still watching the two.

"Wish me luck then…"

Chiya and Earl waited until he left the booth for good, assuming that he would somehow be watching them. Earl rubbed his chin contemplating how he would know if they were breaking a rule or not. He looked over at Chiya who looked more afraid than angry, Seppuku was likely offending her by using her bounty against him, but had no choice but to respect him as he was the last person she could rely on as a friend.

"I hope our issues won't distract him while he drives…" Earl muttered.

"_Your_ issues, I'm doing nothing wrong." she corrected him.

"You tried to shoot me! I'm not the one overreacting, that is a perfectly legitimate reason to be angry!"

"You called me a flamboyant bi-"

Earl immediately cut her off, "No, no, no, I'll apologize for that, but this isn't about that I'm sure, this is still about that _damn_ little incident on Goroh's ship…"

"Of cou-"

Earl immediately waved his hands telling her to stop, "Okay, okay, we need to cease fighting just for now…" She raised a fierce eyebrow, "Despite our differences right now, we both want Seppuku to win this thing, and going at each others necks is not helping him, especially since both our jobs are on the line."

Chiya hesitantly nodded in agreement, "Whatever, I guess you do have a point…"

Earl nodded slightly and went towards the front of the booth to look at the track. Chiya decided that the easiest way to keep their distance would be for her to watch the race from the screen instead. Each booth came with two couches surrounding a screen that displays the race. All the two did with each other was argue each other's point, ultimately neither of them were getting anywhere with their arguments. Earl had a feeling that the tension would slightly ease more once they returned to Mute City, however he had no plans to try getting Chiya back on his side.

Aeropolis was the lucky planet to be chosen as the fifth track of the Grand Prix, since it was the final area, Aeropolis would be getting the most business from customers and fans. Mother-Q was the entire government of Aeropolis, and did not require things such as money, money was simply redistributed to certain citizens. The track chosen for the final race; Multiplex, was the easiest track Aeropolis had, but had a massive jump, several landmines, and one very sharp turn. The track would be similar to Sand Ocean, fighting would likely occur immediately after the large jump was made, this jump was three times as high as the one on Sand Ocean, and would require racers to glide through the air onto the ground.

Chiya sat down watching the screen, a pre-race broadcast had just come on as usual featuring the two announcers. "The day is finally here, but of the five racers; which one will go home today a billionaire?"

"Everyone by now has cast aside the other twenty-five racers, all anyone cares about at the moment is which one of these specific five wins."

The screen flashed through images of the five candidates: Captain Falcon, Blood Falcon, Samurai Goroh, Lieutenant Seppuku, and Jody Summer. The two announcers were joined in with another member of the F-Zero committee.

"The votes are in, and the mass has decided that…" he began opening up a page on a portable device. "Captain Falcon is going to win this one with an overall vote of fifty-seven percent."

"It's not very surprising to me that they voted Captain Falcon, the mans been racing since the early days of F-Zero, some have even spread rumors that his father was a racecar driver back when vehicles used tires."

"Well obviously the mystery will remain, who is Captain Falcon? If you know his identity, you also know who Blood Falcon is, killing two falcons with one shot."

The F-Zero committee member shrugged, "We may never know who he is," he put his hands together, "But what of the other racers, you have Goroh and Seppuku."

"A Seppuku victory would instantly bring up his ratings, the closest he ever came to winning the Grand Prix was third place, but this year he seems to be making more of an effort to win."

"You also have Blood Falcon, just as fierce as Captain Falcon, considering he is an identical clone."

The F-Zero committee member turned away from the camera for a moment speaking to someone, then turned back around grinning. "We have been given the all clear to start the opening ceremony."

The broadcast switched over to a view of the Multiplex race track, unlike other races, this one had many more fans watching, some even outside still trying to get in. Chiya knew that she was lucky to be allowed in such a private area, in the normal fan area she would be forced to sit closely to a bunch of other fans, and Chiya was clearly claustrophobic. She carefully glanced over at Earl, who was leaning over the window of the booth. She bit on her finger frustrated, still enraged at Earl, yet somehow bothered that he wasn't trying to rebuild their friendship. _Just apologize for everything and I might consider standing by you…_ she thought angrily.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the F-Zero committee would like to thank you for coming to the final race of this years Grand Prix." Everyone began to cheer in excitement for the conclusion of the F-Zero races. "At this time, we will begin kick off the event with the traditional opening ceremony."

Immediately after he stopped talking, a band began to play music as several ships flew over the track spraying colored mist. Earl looked across from him at the other booth, as always their booth was situated across from Michael Chain's booth, some of his lackeys were present in the booth. Earl smirked looking at the group of men, they had no idea that they were preparing to stop the Bloody Chain once and for all. The only concern Earl had was how cooperative Chiya would be with him if they were to eventually attack the Bloody Chain head on.

Time went by, and the ceremony was coming to an end, the race was getting closer every minute that went by. Chiya was now laying on her side looking at the screen, she was slightly exhausted from the past terrible nights, barely able to sleep. The only reason Chiya would even stay with Seppuku's team is that she gets paid well and was getting an F-Zero machine.

"-and now, the contestants…" music began to play as soon as the announcer prepared to start off the list, "Taking first last race, the bloodthirsty, Blood Falcon!"

The _Blood Hawk_ proudly stopped in front of the starting line, Blood Falcon would likely still fight Captain Falcon during this race, but for once was likely going to prioritize on the race. "Taking second last race, the man of surprises, Lieutenant Seppuku!"

Both Chiya and Earl were shocked to hear so many fans cheering at the sound of his name, Seppuku was truly climbing up the ranks at last, and winning the Grand Prix would only seal those fans permanently. Seppuku immediately leaped out of the _Red Dove_ and began to approach Blood Falcon, who had the exact same idea. Blood Falcon had his signature evil grin on his face, revealing his sharp teeth, Seppuku merely approached him in anger. The two stopped in front of each other, having a standoff with each others eyes.

"What are you up to Blood Falcon?" Seppuku demanded in suspicion.

Blood Falcon chuckled, reaching into his pocket he began to pull something out. Many of the fans were looking nervously, expecting Blood Falcon to pull out a weapon. Blood Falcon held up a disc proudly, "Master Black Shadow had his best men create this…"

Seppuku looked at the disc in discontent, "What is it? Some kind of song?"

"This disc contains a super virus, once I put this into the Mother-Q, this entire planet will become corrupted, and Mother-Q will abide to her new master, Black Shadow!"

Seppuku gritted his teeth grunting in shock, he then smirked at him trying to hide any fear, "You crazy bastard…"

Blood Falcon put away the disc immediately, "The streets will become dark, the planetary defense system will fire on anyone not affiliated with Black Shadow, and the incredible amount of industry here will go towards our master plan."

"Nice." Seppuku muttered sarcastically, "Where do I come in?"

"You and Falcon get to witness the beginning of the end…where I'll kill Falcon, and finish my unfinished business with you…"

Seppuku shook his head in confusion, "What business?"

Samurai Goroh and Captain Falcon approached the two, creating the typical group. "I'm taking this victory home with me, so stay out of my way!" Goroh shouted at everyone.

Seppuku grinned at him, "You don't have the machine to pull it off."

No one besides Seppuku got to hear what Blood Falcon was saying, leaving Chiya and Earl both pondering about the disc he was holding. It was somewhat clear to both however; that this was relevant to Blood Falcon's plan in some way. Chiya immediately came up with the idea that it was something to do with Mother-Q, mainly thinking that he planned on destroying it. Chiya glanced over at Earl again, she felt that it would be smart to bring this up, but she knew she couldn't risk patching things up with Earl on accident, as she would fall back into his trap, believing him to be some faithful ally.

Later on all the racers were present at the startling line, the race was about to begin officially kicking off the final race. Set up near the starting line were three stands: first, second, third. Right after the race, the final score would be determined, and the top three racers were expected to make an appearance on these three stands.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! This, is the final race…" Everyone began to scream excitedly, "Racers, good luck!"

Seppuku was determined to win the race and bring home a billion credits, with that much money, he would be able to support his organization easily for years, get both him and Chiya better vehicle parts, and many other glorious things. He looked up at his booth, only seeing Earl leaning over the edge. _Damn…_ he thought expecting Chiya had left.

"Racers!"

Seppuku shifted his head face forward, nodding.

"The race will begin in…"

Captain Falcon glanced over at Blood Falcon, it was critical that he did not win the billion credits.

"Three…" Jody Summer puckered her lips looking at both Blood Falcon and Seppuku. "Two…" Samurai Goroh was staring intensely at Captain Falcon, no longer rivaling with Seppuku. "One…" Blood Falcon looked at Captain Falcon, ready to finally beat him in the Grand Prix.

"Go!"

The race started and everyone went at each other, the _Blood Hawk_ and _Blue Falcon_ immediately drove next to each other fiercely. Samurai Goroh was the one who managed to slip into first right away, Seppuku chasing him along with Jody Summer. Seppuku and Jody were not directly in some alliance, but they both had a common goal, making them somewhat allies on the track. The _Blood Hawk_ passed the _Blue Falcon_ trying to gain the lead, but the _Red Gazelle_ drove quickly up to third. The thing everyone was forgetting, was that there were still twenty-five other racers on the track.

The _Red Dove_ managed to get on the _Fire Stingray_'s side and push Goroh back to third place, Jody Summer now assumed the lead. Seppuku had no intentions of letting Jody win the race however, immediately trying to find a way around the _White Cat_. The _Blood Hawk_ was busy trying to destroy the _Red Gazelle_, but was suddenly rammed by the _Blue Falcon_. Blood Falcon looked at the _Blue Falcon_ surprised, Captain Falcon wasn't usually the one who brought the fight on the track. Goroh accepted Seppuku's challenge, and worked on catching back up to him, preparing to take him out of the race. The tracks extremely sharp turn was coming up, this was both a dangerous part of the track, and one where racers would likely pass each other. Seppuku began to turn early, just narrowly missing the edge of the turn, he made a slick turn putting him in first place, Goroh had managed to bump Jody out of the way and continued towards Seppuku.

Chiya was biting her fingers frantically, she thought the other races were nerve-racking, but this one was completely dependent on what place Seppuku took in the end, it was possible that he could win if he took second place, but both Blood Falcon and Captain Falcon would need to be far behind the other racers.

The racers now approached the massive jump, Seppuku and Goroh were neck-and-neck, but were not prepared to fight each other until they completed the jump. The _White Cat_ was still closely behind the _Fire Stingray_, trying to get Goroh off of Seppuku. The racers began flying off the ramp, taking them into the sky, they were a good two-hundred feet from the track, Seppuku initiated the airbrakes in midair sending him back down to the ground early. He continued to drive while looking for Goroh, he did not see the _Fire Stingray_ anywhere in the sky. Suddenly the _Fire Stingray _fell right next to the _Red Dove _unexpectedly for both racers. Seppuku gasped, but immediately attacked the _Fire Stingray _successfully propelling it roughly at the wall, several racers passed Goroh at this point.

"Yes!" Chiya silently cheered.

"A devastating blow to Samurai Goroh! That is going to take some rep-" the announcer paused as he saw the _Fire Stingray _still easily managing to make its way up the track, "Goroh is not out!"

Seppuku smirked victoriously at stopping Goroh for the time being, but was quickly startled as the _Blood Hawk_ somehow passed both Seppuku and Jody. Captain Falcon pursued him also managing to pass the two, Seppuku let out a chuckle looking at the two racers, _Game on…_ Seppuku sent the _Red Dove_'s maximum speed up, decreasing it's maneuverability around corners. Within seconds Seppuku was getting away from Jody Summer, but she not long after mimicked what he did, matching his speed again. The racers drove down a very wide, simple, long stretch of track, it was a good area to fight another racer. After the long stretch, they would be entering the mine field, much larger than the one that was placed on Sand Ocean. Seppuku always studied the track he would be racing in before he actually raced, so he already had a general idea of where the landmines would be.

The _Blue Falcon _and _Blood Hawk _stopped fighting as they maneuvered the landmines carefully yet quickly, Seppuku and Jody Summer closely followed the two, also dodging every mine they could. Samurai Goroh was still in back, but was determined to win the race yet. They passed the finish line, authorizing the usage of boost power, Seppuku immediately seized the opportunity to run up towards the _Blood Hawk_, attempting to ram him hostilely. Blood Falcon saw through this attack and hit the brakes before Seppuku would ram him right into the _Blue Falcon_. Captain Falcon and Seppuku now rode alongside each other, Jody Summer boosting back up to Seppuku. The _Blue Falcon _boosted away from the _Red Dove_ trying to gain a good lead on everyone. Seppuku was distracted on Captain Falcon, and suddenly found himself getting hit by the _Blood Hawk_, the back of the _Red Dove_ took a critical hit, sparks flying into the air.

Earl cringed looking at him, "That'll take a while to buff out…"

Chiya chuckled at his misfortune from the couch, "It's your job."

Earl did not respond to her, simply allowing for her to sound like the bad guy.

Seppuku boosted away from the _Blood Hawk_, keeping watch on his energy, the next restoration pad was right after the large jump, so he still had a ways to go. Jody and Seppuku were gaining on Captain Falcon quickly, Blood Falcon closely trying to engage Seppuku. Suddenly both the _Blood Hawk _and _White Cat_ was brutishly knocked to the side of Seppuku by another racer.

"What the-" Seppuku could see a large orange F-Zero machine behind him, "Chain…"

The _Wild Boar_ had a zero percent chance of winning the Grand Prix, nearly retiring his machine in every race, but he was determined to ruin Seppuku's chances. Seppuku then smiled realizing that he had a golden opportunity to take out Chain, Seppuku planned on hitting him hard right before the jump, if he succeeded, Chain would fly right off course, doomed to fall down to the ground of Aeropolis. Blood Falcon and Jody Summer were now facing off with each other, both had taken heavy damage from the _Wild Boar_. Seppuku and Chain made the sharp turn, now heading right for the jump, Michael Chain would never expect Seppuku to make such a risky move before such a dangerous jump, making the likelihood of killing Chain great. As the two prepared to make the jump, Seppuku began moving towards the _Wild Boar_ preparing for the attack.

"It's been a pleasure Michael Chain!" Seppuku yelled aloud as he was about to attack.

Suddenly the _Fire Stingray _boosted up, knocking the _Wild Boar _slightly to the side. Samurai Goroh accidentally foiled his perfect plan, Seppuku growled as he made the jump normally. Seppuku would still have one lap to try such a thing again, but he had to make sure he wins the race. The _Red Dove _landed alongside the _White Cat_ that had just caught up, Seppuku drove over the restoration pads, getting what energy he could quickly. The _Wild Boar _still chased him closely, along with the _Fire Stingray_, it was happening again, the two were going to try and work on getting Seppuku out of the race.

"Shoot…" Seppuku muttered.

Seppuku boosted away from the two, but was closely being followed, luckily he had the _White Cat _trying to help him. Blood Falcon was taking his time catching up, trying to find the right moment to slip past every racer. Captain Falcon was still in the lead, not even concerning himself with the other racers. Seppuku boosted again, now entering the large stretch. Goroh, Seppuku, and Chain all had a single booster, unlike someone like Chiya, who had dual boosters, this meant that the three basically had the same boosting distance. Seppuku found himself stuck, if he tried to attack one of the racers, the other would simply take the moment to take out Seppuku, he needed to lose them somehow.

He did a sharp turn around the corner, nearly hitting a landmine, the _Wild Boar_ clumsily ran straight into the same mine, retiring the _Wild Boar_ from the race, unfortunately for Seppuku, Michael Chain was clearly perfectly fine.

"That's a shame…unless I were to accidentally run him over…" he joked to himself.

Seppuku was nearly neck-and-neck with Captain Falcon, but Samurai Goroh stuck with him expertly. The finish line was up ahead, it was nearly the final lap, Seppuku was caught off guard by this, and noticed the _Fire Stingray _about to ram him from the left. Seppuku gasped quickly trying to retaliate, miraculously the _Fire Stingray _was struck by the _Blue Falcon_, Goroh was now retired as well, leaving only four possible Grand Prix winners.

Chiya leaped up in excitement cheering, she then looked at Earl for a moment who was looking at her, this caused her to sit back down quietly.

Captain Falcon drove right to the side of Seppuku as they were about to enter the final lap, he saluted Seppuku nodding his head. Seppuku was looking into his eyes angrily, but this time something was wrong… Seppuku found himself gritting his teeth at him, his fists clenched roughly around his steering wheel, something was happening that was out of Seppuku's control. Captain Falcon gasped at the sight of something, Seppuku had a cheesy smile suddenly. Seppuku was staring at Captain Falcon intensely, _I have this sudden urge…_ he thought to himself looking at Captain Falcon.

"…to send you straight to Hell!" Seppuku yelled smiling manically.

Seppuku did something noone has been able to do for years, he successfully pulled off a full power attack on the _Blue Falcon_, he completely broke the side wing of the _Blue Falcon_ and sent Captain Falcon flying into the air sparking. The wing of the _Blue Falcon_ landed on the back of the _Red Dove _and fell off. Seppuku began to laugh manically at the sight of a defeated Captain Falcon.

Earl and Chiya were both completely in a state of shock, the wrecked _Blue Falcon_ lay right in front of their booth. Earl was jaw dropped, looking at what Seppuku had randomly done. "No, no…" Earl muttered in amazement.

Chiya ran up to Earl despite their differences, "What did he do!" she yelled confused.

Earl watched as Captain Falcon managed to escape from his machine, he quickly walked across the track holding his shoulder in pain. Earl was trembling greatly, completely putting aside his disgust for Chiya. Booing and screaming could be heard all across the track from fans in disgust at Seppuku's actions, he had taken out Captain Falcon by surprise, even the announcers were speechless.

"I'll tell you what he just did…" Seppuku was driving now beginning to tremble, he felt normal again, but had no idea why he did what he did. "He just pissed off seventy percent of F-Zero fans…"

Chiya began to tremble as well, everyone was well aware of Seppuku's disgust for Captain Falcon, but what he just did was completely different from disgust, this was an act of hatred.

"May God have mercy on us…" Earl muttered looking down.

To be continued!


	30. Lap 30

==LAP 30=

Chiya and Earl were both distraught at what had just happened, right before Captain Falcon and Seppuku entered the final lap, Seppuku took out Captain Falcon. Most F-Zero fans viewed Captain Falcon as the image of F-Zero, removing him from the Grand Prix would only install the realization that Captain Falcon _can_ be defeated. The people were not reacting well to the _Blue Falcon_ retiring from the race, Captain Falcon lost the Grand Prix. Chiya and Earl were still at each others throats, but the event that had just occurred completely shocked everyone. Earl was still nodding his head in disbelief, the race was not over, was winning the Grand Prix worth losing the respect of everyone?

Seppuku was driving down the track in first, Jody Summer and Blood Falcon both behind him. Seppuku was trembling in disbelief at what had just happened, he looked to the sidelines and could see people throwing things onto the track in anger at him. Seppuku shook his head not understanding what had happened, his anger towards Captain Falcon seemed to be out of his control.

"What happened?" he asked aloud shocked, he knew that he always wanted to take Captain Falcon out, but never envisioned himself actually doing it.

Jody Summer watched the _Red Dove_ furiously, Seppuku was now an enemy on the track in her eyes, he technically committed no crime, but demonstrated a truly provocative action towards the Federation. Jody intended on winning this race and putting Seppuku down in the dust.

Blood Falcon was laughing in approval at Seppuku's action, "He's making this to easy for me…" he muttered.

Seppuku breathed in, he couldn't let this inconvenience get in his way, he had to win the Grand Prix which would now be much easier with only two other racers that could snatch victory. As much as he didn't want to, he would need to explain himself to the world somehow, mostly wanting to keep him and his allies safe from angry fans. Seppuku then found the easy answer, if he could win the Grand Prix, he would be interviewed live; the perfect moment to try and explain his actions.

Seppuku was rammed by an angry Jody Summer, he was initially shocked that she had turned on him, but soon realized that she had good reason to be mad at him. _This is going to get tricky…_ he thought to himself seeing the _Blood Hawk_ closely approaching him. The issue was that there was only one lap left, the final lap of the Grand Prix, there was no way he could strike the _White Cat_, taking out two well respected drivers would establish him as some kind of super villain. The _Red Dove_ boosted away from the group, preparing for the sharp turn that was going to be coming up. If Jody Summer hadn't turned hostile towards Seppuku, he would have been able to use her to stop Blood Falcon while he stole the win. The _White Cat_ seemed just as determined as the _Blood Hawk_ to take Seppuku out, it was becoming fairly clear that he would get hit by the _White Cat_ a few times before the end of the race.

"He must have knocked Captain Falcon out because he was mad at our fight that you provoked…" Chiya said looking down at the damaged _Blue Falcon_.

Earl chuckled, "Yeah…alright Chiya…" he said sarcastically agreeing.

The vehicles made the sharp turn, Jody tried and ram the _Red Dove_ but had missed several times, she was fired up. _Why the Hell is she so mad? _he contemplated desperately trying to race and dodge her at the same time. It was as if the _Blood Hawk_ did not exist in Jody's eyes, Blood Falcon was much more of a villain than Seppuku, only he did what Blood Falcon couldn't for several races. The _Blood Hawk_ boosted past the two taking the lead, Seppuku was becoming more angered by the minute, if Jody continued to slow him down, Blood Falcon would win the prize, it would be the most devastating Grand Prix in history. Seppuku looked down at his energy meter, it was on the low side, but he was running out of options. He boosted away from the _White Cat_, putting him up against the _Blood Hawk_ instead. Seppuku's morale was critically hit, he had to wonder why he didn't try and take out Blood Falcon instead, he would have been viewed as an F-Zero Legend even if he lost the race.

Blood Falcon chuckled looking over at Seppuku from inside his vehicle, the two stared at each other intensely, Seppuku was surprised as he saw the cockpit window of the _Blood Hawk_ begin to open. They were simply going down the long stretch towards the massive jump, Seppuku hesitantly opened his cockpit window as well looking at Blood Falcon face to face while driving.

"Thanks for taking care of that pest for me… it'll make winning this race much more enjoyable!" Blood Falcon gloated.

Seppuku pointed at him in disgust, "Blood Falcon! You'll never win the Grand Prix!"

Blood Falcon smirked at him, closing his window again, Seppuku did the same, he was inspired to win the race to stop Blood Falcon. Blood Falcon was a puppet of Black Shadow, he would merely use the prize money to fund Black Shadow's operations, it would be a tragedy for him to win. The three made the large jump for the final time, Seppuku was surprised to see another F-Zero racer take the lead, it was the _Green Panther_, Antonio Guster's machine. _Oh yeah, there's twenty-some racers behind us… _Samurai Goroh was out of the race, so Guster had some other plan. Seppuku raised an eyebrow at the _Green Panther_, suddenly it began to slow down trying to stop Seppuku, Guster was also against Seppuku, but he now held a grudge against him for reasons other than Captain Falcon.

"Bad timing!" Seppuku yelled angrily trying to work around the _Green Panther_.

The race was nearing completion, but they still had the large wide stretch to get across; no matter what, somebody was going to get critically damaged. Blood Falcon boosted past all of the racers, Jody Summer passed Seppuku trying to catch up with Blood Falcon. Seppuku rammed the _Green Panther_ and pursued the two up the track, it was clear to everyone that no matter what, these were going to be the top three ranking racers of the Grand Prix. The _Red Dove_ drove closer to the _Blood Hawk_ rather than the _White Cat_, he felt he had a better chance with Blood Falcon than Jody Summer. The long stretch was coming up, the battle was about to begin; but Blood Falcon surprisingly boosted ahead, focusing on the race instead. Seppuku did the same, chasing him down not concerning himself with the _Red Dove_'s energy level. Seppuku and Blood Falcon were both expressing nervousness as the race was nearly over.

"He can't win, I won't let him win!" Seppuku growled aloud.

Seppuku boosted up again officially putting him in the danger zone of his energy level, if he continued to push his machine like this, it would shut down on the track. The _Red Dove_ ran up aside the _Blood Hawk_, slamming against it; they now clashed vehicles both trying to push each other to the side of the track. The _Blood Hawk_ had a better body, giving it the advantage over the _Red Dove_. Jody Summer cautiously followed from behind, not wanting to exert too much energy, both Blood Falcon and Seppuku were low on energy, a simple blow to any of the two vehicles would end it.

Blood Falcon and Seppuku separated from each other as they entered the minefield, but Seppuku knew he would need to stop Blood Falcon no matter the cost and rammed into him again. Blood Falcon grunted surprised at his choice to fight him right in the middle of the minefield. Jody widened her eyes surprised at the two, at this point she decided that she would keep her mind on the race, rather than taking the two out. Seppuku could slightly see the finish line up ahead, they needed to turn one more time, then simply boost to the finish.

Chiya was grinding her teeth nervously watching the two rival each other as they quickly came down the track, they had mere seconds left before the race would end. Seppuku and Blood Falcon drifted away from each other, preparing to go all out on each other, whoever takes out the other will win the race. Seppuku took one look at the finish line about a mile ahead, he saw his energy level was on the brink of depletion, he had to perfect his attack. Seppuku screamed angrily dashing towards the _Blood Hawk_, Blood Falcon also shouted as he dashed towards the _Red Dove_. Everyone in the crowds were about to jump at the sight of this conclusion, the _Red Dove_ and _Blood Hawk _smashed right into each other, both vehicles suddenly began to malfunction.

Seppuku found that he could no longer control his vehicle, then noticed that his screen said _Energy Depleted_. Seppuku gasped as the _Red Dove_ stopped hovering, his vehicle was still moving up the track quickly, the machine turned off but he was still moving up the track with what speed he had picked up. Luckily the _Blood Hawk _also ran out of energy, both vehicles hit the ground and were now scraping the ground as they slid towards the finish line. The crowd began screaming and shouting as the two disabled vehicles slid closer and closer, Seppuku gritted his teeth in fear, all he had to do was manage to slide into the finish line and it would be over. Luck was not on his side unfortunately, the _White Cat_ simply boosted past him right past the finish line, a victorious; Jody Summer.

Seppuku gasped, he lost the race; the bottom of the _Red Dove_ started on fire as he nearly scraped off the first bottom layer of the vehicle.

Earl groaned shaking his head negatively at the _Red Dove_, Chiya did not respond to him with a hostile remark this time, praying that his disabled vehicle would slide past the finish line first.

Seppuku was overjoyed at the sight of something, the _Blood Hawk_ had stopped, he simply didn't have a machine capable of sliding such a distance. Seppuku just barely passed the finish line, all of the other racers suddenly passing him as he completed the race in second place. Blood Falcon, technically was retired from the race, despite that he was mere meters away from the finish line. The _Red Dove_ was slightly burning, Seppuku lifted his head up slowly looking at the monitor, hoping there was a chance that he still won the Grand Prix, but ultimately Jody Summer topped him by twelve points, worse than that however, Blood Falcon won an overall of Second place, despite not gaining any points this race. Seppuku took the overall of third, winning third place in the Grand Prix for the second time. Whether he liked it or not, Jody Summer won.

Seppuku hesitantly looked up at his booth, he could see a disappointed Chiya leaning over the window pounding her hand down constantly, Seppuku looked down at his lap ashamed. "I failed…again…"

Five minutes later: Jody Summer, Blood Falcon, and Lieutenant Seppuku walked aside each other not speaking, they walked up a fleet of stairs towards the victory stands. Seppuku had a look of despair, he had several reasons to be depressed at the outcome, he wanted to win the Grand Prix so he could spend the money on his team, he let Chiya down, and he let his friendly-rival win the Grand Prix. Blood Falcon began to chuckle randomly, Seppuku glanced over at him; he was looking into his eyes. _Yeah, rub it in…_ Seppuku thought feeling provoked. Jody Summer stepped up to the First place stand and grabbed the large golden trophy standing there, Blood Falcon stepped on the Second place stand, Seppuku Third.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, your champion, Jody Summer!"

The fans began cheering as Jody held up the golden trophy with pride, Blood Falcon held his silver trophy with one hand grinning at the crowd, he thoroughly enjoyed that Captain Falcon wasn't on the stands for once. Fireworks blew up in the air as the Annual Grand Prix had officially come to an end, Jody Summer was the one who would return to Mute City with the prize money. Seppuku looked over at Blood Falcon angrily, he may have beat him by one rank in the Grand Prix, but Seppuku had every intention of taking care of Blood Falcon before he left Aeropolis.

"You started this all, I don't start the arguments, you always provoke me!" Chiya argued.

"That's not true, you always attack every little thing I say now…"

"Because every little thing you say is idiotic."

Chiya and Earl gazed at each others faces angrily trying to intimidate the other. Seppuku broke up the fight as he entered the booth loudly kicking the door open, he threw the bronze trophy aimlessly in the room. Chiya and Earl both looked at him in fear, they were obviously wondering why he had taken out Captain Falcon. Seppuku had his fedora tilted down hiding his visor, he said nothing simply walking past the two to the front of the booth. He looked down at the _Red Dove_, _Blood Hawk_, and _Blue Falcon_ all smoking at the finish line, five racers had been taken out, Seppuku had been lucky enough to slide his way to the finish line.

The room was silent, Seppuku simply stood still with a bad attitude, both Chiya and Earl were too afraid to ask him about his encounter with Captain Falcon. Chiya rubbed her foot in circles looking down, "So…you must be happy-"

"I didn't want to take out Captain Falcon, it was out of my control!"

Chiya lowered her eyebrows caught off guard by his yelling, Seppuku looked back at the two, "Something overcame me, something bad…"

Earl shook his head negatively, "I'm pretty sure you were just mad at the time…it's okay…"

Seppuku looked at him furiously, "No you idiot, something happened to me…"

"You realize that most F-Zero fans will be at your neck now?"

Seppuku nodded, "There isn't much I can do about that…"

Chiya picked up his bronze trophy handing it back over to him, "I thought we could go to a diner and celebrate your victory" she said cheerfully. Seppuku looked at her in a disturbed way, Chiya was easily intimidated by Seppuku, "I'm buying of course…"

"Celebrate my _victory_?"

"Well you did place third out of thirty racers…"

Seppuku sighed looking at her, "I set a bad example for you, I failed again…" Chiya looked at him blandly not understanding him, "Lead the way" he muttered accepting her offer.

Earl and Seppuku sat at a table inside of a diner, several people passed Seppuku with disgust, he likely gained the respect of anti-Captain Falcon fans, but the Falcon fans greatly outweighed them. Seppuku had the bronze trophy sitting on the table somewhat proud of his accomplishment, he already had a bronze trophy in the lobby of the base, so this was nothing new. Earl was looking at the sparkling bronze trophy somewhat envious, but he was happy for Seppuku as in a way, it was a team effort that won the trophy. Chiya came walking with two glasses of ice cream, setting them on the table.

"There you go" Chiya said sitting down with her glass.

Seppuku looked at his glass with little interest, "What is this?"

"Ice cream."

Seppuku looked down at the glass angrily, "Why?"

"Because ice cream solves everything."

Earl looked around the table, "What about me?"

"You have money, buy your own!" she snapped at him.

Seppuku grabbed her by the ear painfully, preventing yet another argument. Seppuku sighed trembling his fist in anger, "After such a misfortunate event, the last thing I need is two sad saps with trust problems…"

Chiya and Earl both looked at each other immediately, Chiya sat straight up pointing at him, "He is the one with a trust problem!"

"Just shut up already…" Seppuku ordered, he successfully made Chiya feel bad about her consistent actions, Seppuku looked back up at Chiya, "You must have been excited to see Samurai Goroh taken out by Falcon…"

Chiya slowly glanced over at Earl, "I didn't care…"

Earl narrowed his eyes at her, "Yeah right! You were cheering when that happened!"

"No! I was cheering that Seppuku was about to take the lead!"

Seppuku immediately stood up, walking away from the two, he had not even touched his ice cream. Chiya and Earl both got up and began following him out of the building, Seppuku was clearly getting sick of the arguing at this point. He moaned at the sound of Earl and Chiya following him, they would only continue to annoy him with the nonstop fighting.

"So what are you guys going to argue about this time?" Chiya looked at him offended, Earl raised an eyebrow interested at his question, "How about who has the better hair?"

Chiya looked over at Earl for a moment, "I thi-"

"-or how about who has the best personality?" both Chiya and Earl immediately noticed that he was insulting the twos immaturity, "-or I know, how about one over who I would rescue first in a fire?"

Chiya looked in front of Seppuku shocked, she saw a man with a brown coat and fedora walking around the corner near the Mother-Q tower. "What I am getting at, is that you tw-"

Chiya began running after the man not letting Seppuku finish his sentence, Chiya knew this was Blood Falcon in disguise. Seppuku and Earl watched her running towards the man confused, Seppuku then noticed that the man had silver boots and red pants.

"Chiya wait!" Seppuku pleaded trying to pursue her.

Blood Falcon approached the highly protected door to Mother-Q, it had four machine gun turrets guarding the door from intruders. Blood Falcon removed his coat and fedora, revealing his typical suit and helmet. Mother-Q took control of the turrets and began to scan Blood Falcon, he grinned deviously and pulled out two grenades.

"Too easy…" he gloated tossing them at each side of the door.

The turrets immediately began firing at him, but he moved away from the door with superhuman speed, he was dodging the bullets professionally before the grenades completely destroyed the turrets. The people of Aeropolis looked at Mother-Q in fear, the number displayed on the tower changed to the number _3_, Aeropolis was under attack. Blood Falcon approached the door that was somehow unharmed by the blast, he laughed at the strong door. He raised his fist, and with one powerful punch knocked the door down, Blood Falcon had several abilities that the average human did not possess.

Chiya was running towards the smoke from the grenade blasts, Seppuku and Earl were still far behind her. She pulled out her handgun while running, intending to take Blood Falcon out as soon as she could see him. The people of Aeropolis began to swarm Mother-Q, no one had any idea what was going on, everyone was looking at Earl and Seppuku running with their weapons out, Earl was also much farther than Seppuku, he was both faster and had lighter gear. Many people were panicking, believing this to be the end of Aeropolis.

Blood Falcon approached the small computer terminal, Mother-Q. He looked at it smiling, pulling out the disc, "The beginning of the end!" he gloated to himself.

Chiya quickly charged into the room, her hair whipped across her face as she trained her weapon at Blood Falcon. "Stop!"

Blood Falcon looked over at Chiya and began to laugh loudly, "Is this a joke?"

"I- I've got a gun!" she threatened nervously.

Blood Falcon put away the disc looking at her with a fierce look and sharp teeth, "Seppuku sent on of his lackeys? Truly pathetic…"

"Don't make me kill you…"

Blood Falcon chuckled at her, "If you think I'm someone who can be stopped, then prove it to me!"

Chiya accepted his fate, firing her weapon constantly towards Blood Falcon. He somehow dashed right past all of the bullets up to her face, Chiya gasped with an extremely disturbed look. She fired the taser at him, but he somehow dodged this as well, he was practically teleporting around the room.

"What kind of monster are you?" she muttered.

Blood Falcon suddenly appeared from behind her, "The kind you see in a nightmare…"

Chiya turned around about to shoot him in the face at point blank, but he grabbed her hand with ease. She grunted not knowing what to do, she punched him across the face with her other hand, he easily turned his head again towards her smiling again.

"Oh, come on…" he said finding her amusing.

He kicked her onto the floor forcibly, she trembled as she got on her legs again, determined to still find a breakthrough. She raised her handgun prepared to shoot at him again, but Blood Falcon grabbed her by the hair, pulling her head up at his towering face.

"I don't see what Seppuku could possibly see in _you_."

He stomped on her hand completely breaking her grasp of her handgun, Chiya screamed in agony as his powerful foot crushed her hand, she could just barely feel the gun still wrapped around her hand, but everything felt numb. She rolled up in a ball praying that Blood Falcon would take his foot off of her hand. Blood Falcon applied more pressure chuckling softly at her pain.

"I would feel bad killing a woman of your age…" Chiya widened her eyes as he tugged her hair again, forcing her to look up at his face, "But I'll get over it!"

Suddenly Blood Falcon was knocked away by Earl, who had just ran into the room. Blood Falcon turned towards Earl surprised, Earl immediately held up his handgun and began firing at Blood Falcon, but just like Chiya, he was making no progress. Blood Falcon dashed at Earl painfully smashing his fist up at his chin, his handgun propelled into the air leaving him defenseless. Earl got right back on his feet looking at Blood Falcon without fear.

"So you've got powers…" Earl muttered rubbing his chin in pain. Blood Falcon merely nodded at Earl, respecting his willingness to fight after such a painful strike to the chin. "But I still have two fists!" Earl yelled clenching his hands together.

Blood Falcon dashed towards him immediately punching Earl straight in the stomach, Earl punched Blood Falcon's neck knocking his head to the side. Earl retreated from him for a second, immediately launching himself at Blood Falcon again, he grabbed onto Blood Falcon's hands, trying to stop him. Blood Falcon laughed at his feeble attempt to stop the punches, somehow throwing Earl across the room. Chiya looked up at the two, trying to carefully get the handgun out of her broken hand, every single time she tugged the gun, her hand would burn in pain.

Earl stood up again, still wanting to fight Blood Falcon, but was easily thrown over near Chiya, once again sending him to the floor. An exhausted Earl got off of his knees, but was easily lifted up by Blood Falcon. Earl looked at Blood Falcon in the eyes, before Blood Falcon began brutally beating Earl's face. Chiya looked at the two in complete fear, Blood Falcon couldn't be stopped. Blood Falcon tossed a defeated Earl to the floor near Chiya, where he lay grunting. Blood Falcon approached the two slowly, preparing to kill both of them, Earl managed to get back on his knees, but was traumatized at the sight of blood dripping down his face. Earl was staring at his hand, blood dripping onto it, but he had no idea where it was coming from, only that it was getting on his hair as well.

"You look surprised…" Blood Falcon gloated.

Earl did not respond to him, ultimately collapsing onto the ground, Blood Falcon assumed that he was dying. He looked over at Chiya who was still desperately trying to get the gun out of her broken hand, the pain was keeping her from pulling it out.

"Weak; but he did make more progress than you" he said calling Chiya weak.

Chiya looked up at him gritting her teeth angrily, but couldn't find the words to say, her broken hand was keeping her from thinking clearly. Blood Falcon began to move towards her, but was stopped as he heard footsteps approaching him. Blood Falcon spun around excited to take out his third opponent, it was Seppuku. Blood Falcon beamed at him in excitement, finally seeing a challenge in front of him. Seppuku simply looked around the room, seeing Earl's handgun laying across the room, and Chiya struggling to get a hold of her gun.

"Of course they tried killing you with guns…" Seppuku muttered disapprovingly, he looked up at Blood Falcon determined to stop him here, "Of course, only I would know all of your weaknesses…"

Blood Falcon grinned at him preparing to put an end to Seppuku's life, "I was hoping to take down Captain Falcon as well, but he doesn't seem to be available…"

Seppuku clenched his fists and charged at Blood Falcon, wanting to get the show on the road. The two immediately locked in combat, both fighting each other in fist-to-fist combat, both were masterfully dodging each others attacks. Seppuku managed to strike Blood Falcon up the chin, unlike Earl and Chiya's strikes, Blood Falcon actually displayed pain at this. Immediately after, Blood Falcon got his signature grin, returning a punch to Seppuku's chest. Seppuku spat on the ground after getting punched, instantly locking fists together with Blood Falcon. Chiya looked up at the two in amazement, the two were so equally matched, Seppuku had already done more to him than her and Earl combined. Seppuku and Blood Falcon stepped away from each other, both dashing at each other with incredible speed, they began punching and blocking, it was as if they were engaged in a sword fight, only they were combating with their bare fists. At this point even Earl was looking at the two, both Chiya and Earl were amazed at how fast their fists were flying at each other, it was beyond normal. Blood Falcon leaped away from Seppuku, he crossed his arms together playfully realizing that fist fighting was not getting either of them anywhere.

"We'll be at this for hours…so let's show off our moves…" Blood Falcon said calmly.

Seppuku raised an eyebrow at him, "What are you talking about?"

Blood Falcon approached him, pulling his glove down more tightly, "Tell me, can you do this?" Blood Falcon suddenly held his hand back, it began to glow brightly, he was performing some type of power.

Seppuku gasped silently, looking back at Earl and Chiya, he slowly moved his head back at him, "Nope."

"Let me demonstrate…" his eyes began to glow completely white as he pulled his clenched fist back more, "Falcon…Pu-unch!" he yelled launching a flaming fist towards Seppuku. Seppuku was instantly propelled towards the wall at an amazing speed, he was immediately knocked out upon hitting the wall. A victorious Blood Falcon raised three fingers, looking at all of Seppuku's organization on the ground.

"That'll be three points for me!" he gloated.

Chiya threw her other hand on her gun desperately, she knew she was the only one who could still fight. She was trying desperately to yank the gun out of her broken hand, but it was too late, Blood Falcon was approaching her.

"I thought I dealt with you already…"

Chiya looked up at him in great fear, he was looking down at her hand realizing that he damaged it. "A broken hand?" he asked amused, he then raised his foot preparing to crush her hand some more, just for the very dark entertainment.

"God…please no, please no!" she pleaded.

Blood Falcon laughed maniacally, Chiya cringed preparing for a new world of pain, and an inevitable death. Blood Falcon suddenly found someone trying to stop him, it was Earl; he latched himself around his leg desperately trying to stop him from hurting Chiya. Chiya gasped looking at the bleeding Earl, it was the first time in days that he had done something respectful for her. Blood Falcon grinned looking at Earl's feeble attempt to stop him.

"How noble…" he muttered.

Blood Falcon tried to kick Earl off of his leg, but Earl would not let go of his leg. Blood Falcon dragged him away from Chiya trying to shake him off, but Earl would not let go of him, Blood Falcon growled at him finally grabbing him by the neck.

"You weak fool…" he said tossing Earl away with ease.

Blood Falcon turned around towards Mother-Q, pulling out the disc, the time for evil was upon Aeropolis. Seppuku shook his head slightly, beginning to wake up, Blood Falcon looked over at him, expecting a round two from Seppuku.

"You're too late Seppuku, starting now…Aeropolis will be under new control, the start of a Black Shadow empire!" he began to laugh at Seppuku who now looked up at Blood Falcon, Seppuku began to chuckle at him.

Blood Falcon changed his expression to a bland one, confused as to what Seppuku could possibly be chuckling at in such a dark situation. Seppuku looked up at Blood Falcon now smiling, "Hold that disc up for me…so I can remember the start of this damn empire of yours…"

Blood Falcon gritted his teeth in confusion, not doing what he said, "I'm not follo-" the disc suddenly shattered into pieces, a bullet destroying four-fifths of the disc.

Blood Falcon looked at the small remnant of the disc he was still holding, his mouth began to twitch, his plans were completely foiled. Blood Falcon spun around quickly revealing Captain Falcon holding a gun. Blood Falcon was caught off guard, not expecting Captain Falcon to actually show up. Blood Falcon still grinned, dropping the useless part of the disc, he dropped a device down and stepped forward.

"As much as I would love to kill you…I really must be going…" Blood Falcon said suddenly glowing green.

Captain Falcon put away his handgun, presuming that a fight would not occur this time. Blood Falcon looked down, as his image began to fade away, he had somehow teleported elsewhere defeated. Seppuku now stood up and walked towards Captain Falcon, he did not appear to be mad at Seppuku.

"I'm surprised you came after what I pulled on you."

Captain Falcon nodded, "This isn't F-Zero, if you really wanted me dead, you would have worked together with Blood Falcon in the Grand Prix, what you did was a mere act of greed."

Seppuku clenched his fist, shaking it at him, "It wasn't greed, something happened to me during that race, I just can't explain what…"

"Whatever the case, the important thing is that Blood Falcon did not win, and his plan has been foiled."

Seppuku shook his head negatively, "No, it isn't… not yet…"

Earl approached Seppuku holding Chiya's broken hand with both of his hands, she was trembling in pain at this, but not speaking. Seppuku looked at Earl's face, seeing all of the blood that was covering it.

"Earl, you're a bloody mess!" Seppuku joked.

Earl narrowed his eyes in disgust, "Are you serious?"

Much later, Earl and Chiya sat together out back of the abandoned store, it was now night time. Earl was nearly done wrapping her broken hand securely, as soon as they were able to leave Mother-Q, Seppuku had roughly yanked the gun right out of her hand, which was painful. Earl taped the wrapping together, Chiya now had a broken hand that would take awhile to heal.

"There, you're lucky he didn't crush it some more, you probably would have needed a new hand" Earl explained calmly.

Chiya glanced up at him, "Thanks…"

Earl still had his hand on her wrist, completely distracted with her hand, he had forgotten what it was like to help Chiya with things. Earl bit his lips, knowing that he was about to finally surrender to her.

"You have very soft hands…" he randomly commented.

Chiya raised an eyebrow at him looking away slightly, "Thanks…again."

Earl removed his hand from her arm, not wanting to provoke her further, he suddenly shut his eyes and clenched his fist, "I'm so sorry Chiya…"

Chiya turned her head towards him slowly, her mouth slightly dropped in shock, "Sorry f-"

"It was all my fault, all of it…" Chiya's eyes widened slightly, Earl was finally breaking down, "I may think that your reasoning for being mad at me is silly, but the fact remains; you were offended, and I should have just apologized from the start…"

Chiya's eyes began to tremble, she had her teeth clenched together listening to him, "I don-"

"It's obvious what happened, sure I was mad about you shooting at me, but in reality I just wanted to be right, but I've always been wrong from a certain point of view…"

Chiya felt like her heart had stopped, she had finally achieved victory, but was not feeling good about it, "I'm starting to wonder if you were right, it's possible I was overreacting about your trust…"

Chiya jolted up straight as Earl grabbed her shoulders, looking her straight in the eyes. "Chiya, for god sakes…understand where I am coming from!"

Chiya began to tremble, disturbed at why he felt it was necessary to grab her so. "I risked my life getting us out of that Red Star base, nearly died onboard that transport trying to keep you safe, stayed close to you during our encounter with Guster, risked losing my job by working on your machine over Seppuku's, carried and tucked you into your bed while I stood guard of the base alone, spent all of my money buying a ship to rescue you, and even threw myself at Blood Falcon to prevent him from hurting you."

Chiya appeared surprised at his list of good deeds, Earl shook his head disapprovingly, "If you can't see how much I value our friendship, then maybe you need to take a look at life from a different perspective…"

Chiya's eyes began to water up at his conclusion, she slid away from him slightly, exhaling, she now realized that Earl never was truly mad at her, he had merely lost hope of patching things up with her.

"I overreacted…" she admitted.

Earl exhaled in relief, concluding the tension between the two, it was finally over. Chiya held her face sadly, "The truth is…" she gritted her teeth fearing what he would think of her next words, "Every time I yelled at you, I felt like I was dying inside, even if I did believe you were a bad person."

Earl nodded understanding, she crossed her legs rubbing the back of her head, "I especially felt bad when I shot towards you…"

Earl grinned and brushed his hand aimlessly, "Admittedly, you're not the first girl to try and shoot me…" Chiya giggled at this, finally starting to regain trust.

Chiya looked down at her knees lowering her eyebrows, "It wasn't actually completely your fault that I got angry…" Earl looked at her surprised, "I was… in a phase…" she said slightly turning red in embarrassment.

Earl had no idea what she was talking about, "Well…alright then."

Seppuku looked at the two from around the door and smiled, "Thank God…" he muttered.

Chiya spotted Seppuku watching the two and slid a bit away from Earl on the chair, "Hello."

Seppuku quickly changed his smile into a bland look, "If you two are quite finished, I'd like to discuss how we're going to fix the Red Dove…"

Chiya turned her head towards Earl, who was beginning to moan, "Trust me, that thing is fried, repairing it will be both expensive and beyond difficult…" Seppuku lowered his eyebrows about to get angry, Earl smirked at him, "But me and Chiya will get it back in shape!"

Seppuku nodded in appreciation, he walked away from the two pleased with the results. Chiya and Earl could now begin rebuilding their friendship, with Blood Falcon stopped for the moment, all that was left was to stop the gang war of Mute City. Chiya looked at Earl's face narrowing her eyes.

"Your face took a real beating…"

Earl let out a laugh, "-and you're left-handed now" he said countering her.

To be continued!


	31. Lap 31

==LAP 31=

Chiya and Earl were sitting at the café in Mute City, Seppuku had lost the Grand Prix; but he was satisfied knowing that Chiya and Earl were now acting friendly towards each other again. With Blood Falcon's plan foiled, all that was left to do was finish off the gang war of Mute City for good, a work on progress. The challenge they now faced, was that the _Red Dove_ was heavily damaged during the race on Aeropolis and would not be repaired for several days.

"-it already has been a burden on me, I ended up dropping a glass on accident when I reached out for it with this bandaged hand, for some reason I just keep forgetting that I can't use it" Chiya explained to Bart.

Bart nodded understanding, "A common mistake, I agree with Earl that you are lucky to still have that hand at all." Chiya looked down at her completely wrapped hand, "Blood Falcon definitely could have wrecked it if he wanted."

Chiya widened her eyes at the thought of losing her hand, she would need to have it amputated and then replaced with an artificial one. Luckily, Blood Falcon did not get the opportunity to crush the already broken hand because Earl had thrown himself at his leg at the last moment, blocking his cruel attack.

Bart looked over at Earl who had several bruises on his face, "So which one of you got the worst of it?"

"Chiya, by far" Earl immediately answered, "I had no idea where the blood was coming from until we got away from Mother-Q, he nearly put a gash up on my forehead, but it wasn't large enough to be life threatening."

Chiya studied his forehead wanting to see his injury, but his hair was covering it up perfectly. The screen above the counter switched over to an F-Zero interview, starring Mr. Zero. Everyone looked up at the screen with interest, every time a Grand Prix finished, the winner would be interviewed. The screen zoomed in on Jody Summer and Mr. Zero; who was a man in a suit with green hair and red goggles. Chiya had no opinion on Jody Summer, seeing her both as an ally and a foe, depending on the circumstance.

"The annual Grand Prix has come to an end, and we are here live with the winner, Jody Summer; pilot of the White Cat."

The screen began showing highlights of Jody Summer during the Grand Prix, one of the moments showing her escaping her demolished vehicle with Seppuku. Chiya widened her eyes at the sight of Seppuku rescuing her, completely forgetting about the heroic act. _He may have won if he hadn't throw that race…_ she thought in disbelief.

"Glad to have you here Ms. Summer, your fans appear overjoyed at your first time win, what are your initial thoughts?"

Jody didn't express any emotion at his question, "I'm very glad that I brought them joy, we're hoping that my victory may inspire young fans to join the Federation, work up the ranks, and help keep the Galaxy a better place."

"I see…possibly the biggest question, is what do you plan on doing with the billion credits you now possess?"

Chiya tapped her fingers on the counter eagerly, hoping that Jody may share some of the money with Seppuku to help fund his organization.

"All of it is going towards the Galactic Space Federation, by doing this we can upgrade the Federation as a whole, I believe this is the wisest way I can spend the money."

"So you don't plan on spending any of it for yourself?"

"The White Cat is the property of the Federation, as a result; I race for all of us."

Earl looked at the screen surprised, beginning to chuckle silently, "She's blowin' it all on her job, Seppuku is going to be so mad…"

The screen began to zoom in on Mr. Zero's face as he cleared his throat, "After Lieutenant Seppuku took out Captain Falcon, you decided to combat Seppuku; one who was a fellow Federation member, are you saying that Lieutenant Seppuku is actually on par with someone like Blood Falcon?"

Chiya and Earl both gasped nervously, Chiya's left eyebrow was twitching in fear of this, his entire reputation could be affected single-handedly by her answer. Earl bit on his finger frantically, Bart stood looking at the screen in anticipation.

Jody shook her head negatively slowly, "Captain Falcon personally came to me this morning and requested that I pardon the Lieutenant's behavior, as it apparently was an accident that Captain Falcon was retired from that race."

"Accident? A bit far-fetched don't you think?"

Chiya got an angry look at Mr. Zero, who clearly wanted a personal opinion from Jody.

"I don't know how that was an accident, Captain Falcon insists that we forgive Seppuku, as Captain Falcon is a great friend to the Federation, I will honor his wish and not speak publicly of this event."

Chiya and Earl both exhaled relieved that the question was avoided, it was obvious that Jody Summer was going to answer every question with the Federation somewhere in her answer.

"That was really close…" Earl said relieved.

"I'm just as surprised as you are…" Seppuku said approaching the two suddenly.

Chiya jolted up surprised to see Seppuku in the café, it was rare enough to see him outside of his office, seeing him in the Upper City at a café was even more strange. Seppuku and Bart began staring at each other intensely, Seppuku ultimately breaking the stare with a grin.

"Flower" he said looking at Chiya, she nodded her head quickly in fear of what he wanted from her that would bring him up to the café. "I've decided that you've been doing a fairly good job up to this point, so I wanted to reward you."

Chiya bounced up excitedly at the sound of this, "Wow! Thanks!"

Seppuku chuckled at her deviously, momentarily sending Chiya into a suspicious state. Earl turned his head towards the two, "Why is it that I never got a reward?"

"Fix my vehicle, then I'll let you to ask me that again…"

Earl narrowed his eyes displeased at this, realizing that he was hinting that it wouldn't happen. Chiya at this point was feeling somewhat uneasy about what this _reward_ was, anything good sounding that came out of Seppuku's mouth was usually bad in reality.

"What kind of reward?" Chiya asked taking precaution.

"It's a secret…"

Chiya sighed, "Oh boy…"

Chiya, Earl, and Seppuku later stood in the garage, Chiya was amazed at just how much damage the _Red Dove_ had taken, as she had not seen it up close. The bottom of the _Red Dove_ was nearly scraped right off of the body, and burn marks could be seen all around the machine. Chiya turned around excitedly looking at Earl and Seppuku, wondering what her reward was going to be.

"Are we painting the Purring Kitten?" Seppuku shook his head negatively, Chiya continued to ponder what her reward was, "Are we going somewhere?"

Seppuku raised his finger slightly, "You're getting closer, but stop guessing or you'll ruin the surprise."

Chiya nodded honoring his request, Earl looked at Seppuku with confusion, not knowing what he had in store for Chiya. Seppuku approached the _Purring Kitten, _tugging on his scarf while thinking.

"You said that you installed that communication device on _this _vehicle?" Seppuku asked Earl.

"Well, yes… but I can get it out if you re-"

"I changed my mind, keep it in her vehicle."

Earl raised an eyebrow trying to figure out Seppuku's game, this was clearly relevant to Chiya's reward in some way. Seppuku had taken out a headset from her vehicle and put it in his pocket. He stepped away from the two, displaying a look of eagerness as he rubbed his hands together deviously.

"Alright, we're heading to the gambling area of Mute City."

Earl smiled excitedly at this, "You sure this is a reward for Chiya?"

"Trust me, you won't be anywhere near the gambling stations where we're going."

Earl shot back a displeased look, Chiya looked at Seppuku challengingly, "I want Earl to get a reward too."

"Why?" he asked loudly.

Chiya felt as if she were melting into her boots upon hearing his loud response, Seppuku turned around and began walking towards Earl's vehicle. Earl walked ahead of him expecting that he would be the one driving. Chiya approached the back door and began to open it, but Seppuku pushed against it preventing her from doing so.

"What are you doing?" Chiya looked at him not understanding what she did, "Take your F-Zero machine."

Chiya laughed at him, "Have you noticed that I am minus a hand?" she said lifting up her bandaged hand.

"So what? It will be good driving practice…"

Chiya looked at him full of doubt, but none-the-less turned around towards her machine. Chiya thoroughly enjoyed driving her F-Zero machine, but simply was concerned at the idea of driving with her non-dominant hand, she was prepared to do so however.

A few minutes later, Earl and Seppuku; who were leading Chiya at a normal speed, was nearing a very flashy part of Mute City, easily comparable to other cities on Earth such as Las Vegas. Chiya was becoming dizzy at the sight of all the lights, she had no idea such a place existed in Mute City. Many people were on the streets, ambient music was playing throughout the streets, this was the gambling area of Mute City.

Earl had a grin on his face as he drove through the lighted up streets, he looked over at Seppuku who was studying the streets for crime to break out.

"I think it's only fair to warn you, that some people in this area want me dead" Earl stated while grinning.

"That doesn't concern me…"

Earl chuckled at him, "Sure, sure…" Seppuku looked back at the _Purring Kitten_, Chiya did not seem to have any problems keeping up with them. "Where are we going exactly?"

"Underground race track for bet races."

Earl nodded, then began to slowly turn his head in suspicion at the now grinning Seppuku, "You didn't…" he muttered in disbelief.

Chiya was looking at the people of the streets somewhat nervous, everyone was looking at her, as she was the only one driving an F-Zero machine this time. She glanced over at the sidewalk expecting negative reactions, but was relieved to see that most of the people were excited to see her vehicle. Chiya smiled and waved at some of the people, _That's right! Future Grand Prix winner coming through! _she gloated in her mind.

The _Purring Kitten_ soon drove down a tunnel still following Earl's vehicle, they were clearly going downward, now entering some kind of underground layer of Mute City. The initial thing she saw, was several parked vehicles; they were in a large parking lot. Earl's vehicle did not appear prepared to park however as it continued down a narrow passageway. Shortly inside of the passage way, Earl's vehicle stopped; Seppuku opened the door and began moving towards Chiya. Chiya opened her cockpit window and looked down at the approaching Seppuku, he made a hand gesture signaling her to stay as he moved towards her.

Seppuku leaned towards Chiya, "Keep going down this path and park wherever you wish, then find me and Earl inside of the bar."

Chiya lowered her eyebrows in confusion, "Okay…but where are we?"

Seppuku began to chuckle stepping away from her vehicle, "In time, just do as I ask…"

Chiya nodded and continued down the path, she felt that she was going to get herself in trouble, they technically were in the Lower City, but the area appeared to be much more populated. After a few moments of driving, she entered a large parking lot full of machines, she gasped in shock at what she saw. _Golden Fox, Wild Goose, King Meteor…_ she listed off the F-Zero machines she saw parked. There were a handful of F-Zero machines parked in the lot, it was becoming clear that Seppuku had something fishy up his sleeve. Chiya moved her vehicle into a more open area, trying to isolate herself from the actual F-Zero machines. Chiya had parked the _Purring Kitten_, but now found herself clueless as to where she would find this bar.

Seppuku and Earl later stood around a table with fellow F-Zero racers: Silver Neelson and Beastman. Silver Neelson was an elderly racer, with a long white beard, goggles, and a brown leather coat, he piloted the _Night Thunder_. Beastman was yet another racer who wore a visor like Captain Falcon, Blood Falcon, and Lieutenant Seppuku, he wore a green suit with a helmet in the style of an alligator, he piloted the _Hyper Speeder_.

"Kids like you are always treating F-Zero like a death match…I remember back when you weren't allowed to attack other racers!" Silver lectured Seppuku referring to his hostile actions throughout the Grand Prix.

"Shut up old man…" Seppuku growled.

"I couldn't believe you managed to finish the last race the way you did…" Beastman complimented.

Chiya entered the room slowly, exhaling at the sight of Seppuku and Earl. Seppuku turned his head towards her and grinned, "What took you so long?"

Chiya flailed her arms angrily as she approached the table, "I had no idea where to go!" everyone stared at her, "Luckily I did run into a restroom and found that someone left some perfume there, so I'm happy."

Beastman began to laugh at Chiya, looking back at Seppuku, "You're betting on her?"

Seppuku nodded, "She'll win."

Chiya widened her eyes in fear, she began to look around the bar confused, then noticing that it was very F-Zero oriented. She looked at Earl looking for help, he was showing a look of nervousness. Chiya whipped her head quickly back at the three racers now understanding what was going on.

"How much did you bet on me?" she asked beginning to panic.

"That's not important…"

Chiya shook her head negatively frantically with a look of discontent, "I can't do this! You're mad!"

Silver and Beastman began to laugh at the now frightened Chiya, Seppuku had a look of confidence however. Chiya waved her broken hand in front of him trying to figure out why he would possibly enter her in a race at this time.

"You'll win."

Chiya stepped back feeling pressured, starting to hyperventilate at the situation, Earl felt bad for her but saw nothing that he could do to help her. Chiya put her hand on her forehead in frustration, wondering how this was a reward.

"She shouldn't have to do this if she doesn-"

"I already registered her, and betted on her, she's racing." Earl narrowed his eyes angrily at Seppuku, "Besides, this is a bulletproof way of making her an official F-Zero racer, the committee would never let her in unless she had a background that proved she could race well."

Chiya looked down sadly at this fact, "He's right…winning this would increase my chances greatly."

"But don't worry, this race doesn't allow combat, all you need to do is race, no more, no less."

Chiya looked at this a little more calmly, but was still stressed at the sudden news that she would be racing against pros. Earl had little more to say, Chiya seemed to agree with Seppuku that she would need to race, despite her injury. Silver Neelson smiled at Chiya finding her interest in becoming an F-Zero racer a wonderful thing.

"I've raced on this track enough to tell you that it aint' as bad as you may think." Chiya looked at Silver, wondering if she could trust the old man, "It does have turns, but you can use these to pass other racers, along with these are some tricky jumps you could try doing for shortcuts."

"What makes them tricky?"

"Well…if you don't make the jump correctly you'll probably die."

Chiya widened her eyes, "I know what I'm not doing…"

Seppuku put his hand on her shoulder, "If we win, we'll get a nice amount of credits, we can split it."

Chiya considered this proposal with great interest, _I could paint my entire room with that money…_ Chiya shook her head negatively escaping the good thoughts, "But my hand…" she pouted sadly.

"Forget about your hand! You still have one don't you?"

Chiya lowered her eyebrows with her eyes closed in discontent, "Yes…"

Seppuku patted her shoulder, "Then get back to your vehicle and wait for the race to start."

Chiya gritted her teeth in fear, not realizing that the race was so close to starting. She hesitantly turned around looking at the door, preparing to leave the bar. _Everyone is insane but me…_ she thought while walking away. Beastman slowly turned his head towards Seppuku in confusion.

"So you really think _that _girl will win?"

Seppuku nodded believing in her, "She beat me and Michael Chain, there's no way she'll lose."

Earl looked around the room for something else to do, he didn't feel right being with three F-Zero racers, while he himself wasn't one. Earl was a little bothered that he bet on Chiya, this would only add pressure onto Chiya during the race.

"So can I go do my own things then?" Earl asked wanting to leave.

"Of course not, you have work to do."

"What do y-" Earl was immediately interrupted as Seppuku forced a headset onto his head. "Wait… what?"

"Someone needs to keep Chiya informed during this race, you can talk to her from the stands."

Earl looked surprised at his orders, not understanding why he was the one who would be guiding Chiya. "Why don't you do it?"

Seppuku grinned at him tilting his fedora, "I have a feeling she'll prefer you talking to her." Earl looked at him clueless, not knowing what he would talk about, "She would only get scared if I was the one talking to her during the race."

"Yeah I guess you're right…"

The Grand Prix may have been over, but Seppuku wasted no time in getting Chiya involved with racing. The real question was however; does he truly want Chiya to win for F-Zero purposes, or merely for self-gain?

To be continued!


	32. Lap 32

==LAP 32=

Chiya sat inside of the _Purring Kitten_ trembling greatly, Seppuku had forcibly registered her in a bet race. She knew that her broken hand would be the factor that messes her up during the race, the only reassurance was that the race did not allow combat. The track was fairly simple, but contained a few traps on the track that would propel a vehicle into the air like a catapult, this could be used to the drivers advantage if used correctly. Chiya was in a state of confusion, not knowing where she stood in the situation; on one hand she had proven that she could race F-Zero pilots, on the other hand this was a much different ball game; a race that used boosters, all that was missing was the ability to smash into other vehicles violently. Chiya gasped at the sight of several famous F-Zero racers entering the room, likely preparing for the race as well.

_This could be bad…_ she thought as some of the racers glanced over at her vehicle surprised. Dr. Stewart was amongst the group of racers looking at the bland machine, the young dark-skinned racer with leopard clothing and a visor like Seppuku's stepped in front of the _Purring Kitten_, his name was Baba.

"Nah, nah, hold on…" Dr. Stewart looked at Baba intrigued, "What's this?" he asked shoving his hands towards the _Purring Kitten_ in disbelief.

"Looks like a fairly new F-Zero machine" Stewart replied.

Baba turned back towards the _Purring Kitten_ in shock, before entering a state of laughter at the lack of customization, "Amazing, I guess style isn't for everyone!" he said walking towards his vehicle, the _Iron Tiger_. Chiya slowly moved her head up from the dashboard having hidden it from view, she was too shy to confront such pros in person. Chiya exhaled relieved to see everyone leaving for their vehicles, none-the-less she felt somewhat hurt by Baba's provocative comments towards her vehicle. Closing her eyes trying to relax, Chiya stretched her arms preparing for the race of her life, it was then that she saw a headset attached to the dashboard had a flashing blue light.

"What the…" she muttered picking the headset up and putting it on, "Is someone there?" she asked in confusion.

"What's up?" Earl responded.

Chiya instantly recognized the voice as Earl's, but felt that she was low on time before the race would start. "Is Seppuku going to run me through this?" she asked frantically.

"N-not quite…" Earl was standing in the private F-Zero booth alone for once, there was not nearly as large of a crowd as there was during the Grand Prix. "Seppuku wants me to be your road guide instead."

Chiya sat back with her eyes widened, _What's the engineer going to know?_ she challenged in her mind. Chiya shook her head slightly finding this as a win-lose moment, she preferred Earl's presence over Seppuku's, but would have preferred having an F-Zero racer helping her.

"Great, what do I do right now?"

"The announcer will call you all in, just do what the other racers do until the race starts."

Chiya breathed in and exhaled trying to stay calm, "Got it."

"The key things to remember, keep a watch on your vehicle's energy level, don't let it run out like Seppuku did or you'll get the exact same fate."

"You mean second place?" she asked jokingly.

Earl smirked to himself, "I'm serious, both Seppuku and Blood Falcon were lucky that they didn't explode as a result of doing that."

"Fine, anything else?"

Earl swatted his fist into his palm, "Most importantly, don't let Seppuku's little side wager distract you, this is your first race and if you keep a clear mind, you just could win this." Chiya smiled with her teeth feeling like she was going to laugh, she was Earl's pre-race talk as if it were some kind of pep talk in sports. "Don't push yourself too hard, everyone has limits."

"Alright, alright…I'm good…"

"Excellent, keep your headset on, I'll only speak when necessary."

"Yes sir."

Earl widened his eyes at her response, she was clearly joking, but he hadn't realized just how much of a coach he was being. Earl grinned and walked over to the couch preparing for the race, he would need to watch her on screen since he could not see her fulltime from the booth's window. It was rare for an F-Zero superstar like Captain Falcon to show up at a bet race, this was to Chiya's fortune as she had little experience in competitive racing as it was.

"At this time all contestants may line up at the starting line."

Chiya gritted her teeth feeling a shock go through her body, within seconds all of the F-Zero machines began to move out of the room towards a door that was slowly opening, this would lead them out onto the track. There were a total of nine racers for this race, eight racers Chiya would need to work around carefully. Chiya got behind Dr. Stewart's machine as they began to pull out of the garage onto the track, the starting line was only a short way ahead of them.

"I'm kind of sca-"

"Don't worry about it, just trust your instincts on this race, it doesn't have to be dangerous at all, period" Earl said reassuringly.

Chiya sighed while nodding in agreement as they began driving towards the startling line. The one thing that she could feel good about, was that there was no combat allowed, all she needed to worry about was staying ahead of the other racers. All nine racers set up in two rows, Chiya way in the back. _I could have started off in the front if I only drove ahead of everyone else…_ Chiya's view was blocked by the _Wild Goose_, driven by the green alien, Pico. Chiya was trying to remain calm, but was then starting to panic at the thought of putting Seppuku's money to waste and coming in last place, which wouldn't help her at all become an F-Zero racer.

"Alright, get ready…" Earl muttered to Chiya.

Chiya looked up and saw that the race was about to begin, the screen displaying the number three as it prepared to count off. Her eyes trembled in shock at her final moments, her time to shine had come at long last. Three. Two. One. The race started and everyone drove past the starting line, Chiya appeared to have succeeded in taking off quickly, immediately starting off right behind the other racers.

"Good work, now you just gotta' keep a consistent speed and show these guys how to race!" Earl said motivationally.

Chiya drove down the track behind the other racers, Dr. Stewart held the lead followed by Baba. Chiya was focusing on passing Pico, as his large vehicle was an obstacle in her path. As always, the rules of F-Zero were that racers could not use boost power until the second lap, Chiya knew she would need to use this as soon as she could, her boosters being one of the high grade parts of her vehicle. Pico was managing to keep Chiya from making any progress, blocking her path whenever she tried passing him, she was becoming frustrated at this but saw no alternative way around him. The _Big Fang_, piloted by Bio Rex; joined in with Pico and began to block her. Chiya gasped appalled at the lack of sportsmanship, she was being bullied on the track.

"This isn't fair!" Chiya complained.

"Just keep trying, they won't stay at you forever, they want to win this race just as much."

Chiya nodded to herself in agreement, getting angry over this would only give her fatigue and break her morale. Up ahead was a glowing blue device on the track, this was the pad that would propel racers into the air; if used correctly however, one could bring themselves way up ahead of the track, skipping a major turn. Chiya looked at the tracks map on her GPS, she could see how this could be used correctly, but was fearing if it was worth trying. Chiya looked at the _Wild Goose _and _Big Fang_ angrily, becoming offended at their choice to keep a new racer from making progress. She found herself putting her hand on the speed leveler, wanting to push it up to maximum speed, and so she did. Chiya quickly made a sharp dash to the right, hitting the launch pad; the _Purring Kitten_ was the only vehicle that went airborne, the rest of the racers not risking it without boost power.

"Chiya!" Earl shouted.

Chiya felt her life leaving her, every sound and color around her disappearing, all she was focusing on was the area she wished to land at, completely ahead of the other racers. She was so focused that she didn't respond to Earl's panicked shout for her safety, it was up to physics and control to decide her fate at this point. Chiya felt the vehicle beginning to drop, she turned the vehicle downward towards the track like a bullet. Chiya gritted her teeth in complete fear of whether she would land back on the track, or miss the track and completely wipeout. She quickly initiated the airbrakes, sending her down more calmly, miraculously she landed back on the track, now taking the lead. All of the racers looked at the _Purring Kitten_ in amazement, she was the only one brave enough to try such a thing without boost power, which would ensure that the racer makes it back to the track while in mid-air.

"I did it!" Chiya shouted excitedly.

Earl sat down trembling, truly thinking that Chiya would have died, "Th- that's great…excellent job…" He rubbed his eyes trying to regain control of himself again, "Like I said…don't push yourself too hard, you may have somehow pulled that off, but you're still no Captain Falcon."

"Aye."

Chiya now had a look of great determination, with one simple move, she now realized that this race could truly be won if she worked hard enough. Baba looked at the _Purring Kitten_ in complete shock, Dr. Stewart looked at her feeling challenged somewhat, the initial assumption everyone was getting, was that Chiya would be a risk taking racer.

Seppuku chuckled as the three racers watched the race from a monitor, "See that?" Silver Neelson crossed his arms surprised at the risk she had taken, "She won't let all of those racers by, maybe one or two, but she has a talent at this and won't fall behind."

Chiya looked behind her and could see the _Golden Fox_ gaining speed, she now had time to study her opponents vehicles. Chiya lowered her eyebrows looking at the track and _Golden Fox_ constantly. _That machine's body is so terrible, it barely looks like it could round corners; must be why he is one of the best…_ Chiya thought studying hard, from what she could gather, it was a weak machine that would have problems rounding corners. She then looked at the _Iron Tiger_, the machine looked much more menacingly than the _Golden Fox_. _That thing clearly could pack a punch, and its body is perfect for turning… _

"Earl, I think Baba is going to be the rival in this one…" she reported, Earl studied the _Iron Tiger _closely, which was still in third place. "Its body is magnificently built, and can probably make most turns with maximum speed, not sure about the boosters."

Earl let out a chuckle, "Good observation but…" he then looked at the _Iron Tiger_ with complete shock, "…wait… you're spot on…" he muttered impressed with her.

Chiya took the compliment without reaction, she could see the _Big Fang_ making its way up the track. Chiya was becoming overwhelmed with the amount of racers she had to study, this was a skill she had that not many racers had, she had the knowledge of identifying weak points.

"The Iron Tiger seems to have dual-boosters like you, but I would bet anything that they don't do him any good…" Chiya looked back at the _Iron Tiger_, now neck-and-neck with the _Golden Fox _for second. "I'm positive that the boosters compensate for his vehicles heavy weight, basically he has grade C or D boosters."

"Good to know, I think I can use that to my advantage…"

"Good, just get ready, you're about to enter lap two."

Chiya threw her attention towards the track, she hadn't realized that she was already that close. She looked back hoping to find the weakness of the _Big Fang_ before they all got boost power. _Obviously a powerful body…_ _the rounded body likely helps slide off of walls…_ Chiya could only get so much information about the _Big Fang_, she had passed the finish line now entering lap two. Chiya immediately seized the opportunity and boosted away from the group, the _Iron Tiger_ also boosted once he passed the line, but as was expected; his boosters did not deliver him very far up the track.

"Now watch your energy level commonly since you're exerting boost power, there's two restoration pads on the track." Chiya located the restoration pads on her GPS, one was on both sides of the track. "-and please don't attempt that jump again…I almost fell over when I saw you do that…"

"We'll see about that…" an egoistic Chiya responded.

The _King Meteor_, driven by Super Arrow; darted past Chiya taking first. Chiya looked at him angrily, immediately countering him by boosting up the track. She passed _King Meteor_ but could see that the _Golden Fox_ would be coming up at her momentarily. Chiya moaned in frustration, her energy level was in the yellow; half way depleted. _How do you keep the lead with such little energy?_ she thought in frustration. The _Golden Fox _was quickly passed by a desperate _Iron Tiger_, Baba was no villain, but clearly was holding a grudge against Chiya. She could see a long glowing stretch of metal across the side of the track, this was the first restoration area; the way this works is that the racer simply drives over this, gaining as much energy as they can before driving through it completely. Chiya drove over this, not affecting her position in the race, Baba and Dr. Stewart both followed her onto the restoration pad. Super Arrow disregarded the pad and boosted past it, assuming the lead once again, Chiya followed him closely, boosting towards him. She looked at the jump pad again, thinking that she could pull the dangerous stunt off again, with boost power it would be much easier. She began driving towards the pad, and with one press of a button, sent herself boosting at maximum speed towards it. Chiya could feel her heart pumping with an adrenaline at the sight of her flying over all of the other racers, she boosted again in midair, sending her through the air like a rocket, momentarily initiating the airbrakes for a safe landing. She landed far ahead of the _King Meteor_ but was surprised to see that the _Golden Fox_ and _Big Fang_ landed behind her, they also made the jump.

"See? If I didn't attempt that, I would've been two or three racers behind" she explained to Earl.

She drove awaiting a response but felt as though she was being ignored, the _Golden Fox_ carefully sped up trying to catch the _Purring Kitten_, Chiya was doing an excellent job holding her position throughout the race.

"You must have just come from Sand Ocean, because you're the hottest woman I've seen all day" Earl said flirting.

Chiya widened her eyes with her eyebrows dropped, beginning to blush, "Wha- what?" she asked caught off guard completely.

"Hey come on don't walk away…where you going?"

Chiya changed her expression to a displeased one, realizing what was going on. Earl watched as a black haired woman walked away from him, as she was sitting to the side of the booth. Earl shook his head negatively looking back onto the track, he missed the part where Chiya jumped for the second time.

"Sorry, what now?" he asked her.

"It eludes me how you can possibly be single with such good come-ons like that…" Chiya joked.

Earl cleared his throat looking at her progress, she was still being chased by Dr. Stewart and Bio Rex, Super Arrow behind Bio Rex, and Baba behind Super Arrow. "You seem to know what you're doing…just keep a foothold on this race like you are now."

Chiya boosted forward again as she saw the _Iron Tiger_ boost past the _King Meteor_, the constant boosting was what truly made F-Zero a difficult sport. She looked back at the _Golden Fox_ as it came up at her quickly, she panicked and dashed to the side letting him pass. Chiya looked at the back of the machine realizing that the _Golden Fox_ had a very professional booster. She boosted towards him, bringing the two to another restoration area, she was then being chased by the _Iron Tiger_, she gasped in shock at this. _No way, he was like three vehicles back a minute ago!_ Chiya boosted while on the restoration pad, bringing her back into first, but both Baba and Dr. Stewart were staying on her closely. She was coming up on her final lap, the finish line just up ahead, she would have to make the jump one more time if she were to win.

Seppuku was sitting with a look of no surprise, as if he knew that the race would be Chiya's for the taking. Beastman and Silver Neelson looked nervous at the fact that they could lose their bets all because of a girl who isn't an F-Zero racer. Seppuku was greatly pleased at the risks she took to win the race, unlike Earl who condemned her risking her life for a simple bet race.

"Gotta' hand it to you Seppuku, you've trained a winner" Beastman admitted.

Seppuku shook his head negatively, "I didn't train her, she's a natural born racer apparently."

"No way, you must have known that she could race before you put her in your little gang."

Seppuku returned an intense stare, choosing not to respond to the accusation.

The racers all entered the final lap, Chiya just needed to push it to the end, she was still trying to pass Dr. Stewart, she was in somewhat of a predicament; the _Golden Fox_ had better boosters than the _Purring Kitten_, being of better quality, and able to hold more energy. She assumed that she could get past him if she took more of a risk in boosting, bringing her energy level in the orange-red area, as long as she didn't boost after that, she would be fine. Chiya kicked it into high-gear and began to boost towards the side of the _Golden Fox_, he immediately retaliated by boosting as well, but Chiya was a little more determined, boosting three times in a row. Dr. Stewart and Chiya appeared to be the two that would rival against each other in the end, not Baba, though he was not very far behind. The Dr. Stewart boosted one more time bringing himself right behind Chiya, but did not plan on using the energy he still had to pass her, he had another trick to play.

"Earl I don't know if I can shake this guy…" Chiya said concerned.

"I imagine that he'll boost past you once you near the restoration area, then try and boost from there to the jump pad."

Chiya gritted her teeth nervously, he seemed to have her beat in this case, it was a matter of who had the better booster in the long run. The _Iron Tiger_ boosted up behind Chiya, adding on to the pressure, she was being closely followed by the two. _Shoot…_ she thought looking at her situation. The restoration pad was only a bit away, it was clear that nothing would happen until they got there, Chiya was in heavy agreement with Earl that Dr. Stewart would seize the opportunity to pass her after the restoration pad. Chiya looked up calming herself down, _I won't lose! I can't lose! Everything rests within my hands…destiny will secure the win for me! _she thought, full of motivation. The first moment her vehicle touched the restoration pad, she boosted down it, not filling up her energy meter all the way. As expected, Dr. Stewart did the exact same thing, he was intrigued at Chiya's decision to do alike, realizing that she was strategizing against him personally. Chiya looked at the jump pad grinning, she was going to try and land even farther this time to secure the win. She looked at the pad with fury and boosted towards it again, this time Earl was witnessing her attempting the jump and was immediately startled at her decision to do this again.

Chiya flew into the air, looking at the exact area she planned on landing at, she looked back and was startled as the _Golden Fox _and _Iron Tiger_ followed her into the air. Chiya was caught off guard and began to panic as soon as she realized an issue, she forgot to airbrake, sending her towards the track like a meteorite. Chiya's life began to flash before her eyes, immediately switching on the airbrake with what time she still had. Earl began to tremble, knowing that Chiya was about to either die or become even more injured. Chiya was lucky and made a rough landing, nearly knocking her over inside of her machine, none-the-less she continued to drive.

"You have to be careful Chiya!" Earl lectured after realizing that she was okay.

Chiya held her hand in pain, having hit it on the roof of the vehicle, but was still determined to win the race. Both the _Golden Fox _and _Iron Tiger_ landed perfectly ahead of her, Dr. Stewart boosted away from Baba. Chiya shook her head in disbelief, she boosted one time bringing herself up to the _Iron Tiger_, but since she hadn't fully restored her energy, she was already nearly out. The three racers got closer to the last restoration area, _Big Fang_ was now approaching her from behind because of her poorly executed jump. Chiya could feel her morale shattering, knowing that Dr. Stewart would most likely win the race. Chiya still had hopes of winning however, her final chance would be if she could get to the restoration pad and somehow pass the _Golden Fox_ with all of the power she had. She managed to make a good comeback, nearly neck-and-neck with the _Iron Tiger_, but Dr. Stewart was still leading the pack easily. Chiya glanced over at Baba, now visible inside of his vehicle, he returned a stare and appeared intrigued by the pilot of the _Purring Kitten_, mainly assuming that Chiya was a muscular man at first. Chiya was distracted on Baba and had not realized that she was driving over the restoration pad, her energy now completely full. Chiya widened her eyes and immediately began boosting towards the _Golden Fox_, also boosting. The finish line was in sight, Chiya was running out of time, all she could hope for now was that a miracle would happen allowing her to pass the _Golden Fox_. She was surprised to see that Stewart had stopped boosting, he must have boosted through the restoration pad, not allowing him to get full energy, her breakthrough was here. Luck was not on her side however, as the _Iron Tiger_ boosted next to the _Purring Kitten_, slightly pushing into it. Chiya was practically being rammed, not allowing her to secure the victory.

"What the Hell! That's not fair!" she complained as Baba passed her with ease.

Earl sighed, now knowing that it was over, "Unfortunately…pushing is not categorized as _combat_."

Chiya was completely crushed as the three finished the race, Chiya managing to take third place. Dr. Stewart won the race just barely, Baba appeared fine taking second, Chiya was slightly jaw dropped, feeling completely destroyed by her defeat.

Seppuku shook his head negatively with Beastman and Silver laughing at his failure to win the bet. "Dammit Chiya…" he muttered in disappointment.

Chiya stopped her vehicle inside of the garage again moments after, dipping her head in shame, her feelings were crushed knowing that he let everyone down. She was so certain that she would make Seppuku and Earl proud, not only this; but first place would have improved her chances of being allowed in F-Zero as an official registered racer.

"I failed…" she muttered to Earl.

Earl was still leaning over the booths window looking at the track, "No you didn't…" Chiya rolled her eyes not wanting his charity, "You took third place, your first race, you took third."

Chiya slightly raised her head up, watching all of the F-Zero racers get out of their vehicles. "But Seppu-"

"To Hell with Seppuku, that was his own fault for spending money on a new racer, that race would have been yours if you just didn't make that simple mistake."

Chiya rubbed her chin thinking about his points, Earl grinned to himself turning around, "If Seppuku is mad, that's his problem, but there will be other races, and you'll win one of these races no doubt" he concluded.

Chiya smiled putting her hand on the ignition, "You're right Earl…I'll see you back at the bar then…" she concluded turning off her machine.

Chiya leaped out of her vehicle casually, but was startled at the sight of four racers surrounding her suddenly: Baba, Dr. Stewart, Bio Rex, and Pico. She gritted her teeth, fearing that she was about to get beat up by the pro-racers. Baba looked at her beginning to laugh, finally getting to meet Chiya in person.

"Is this a joke? This little girl got third place?" he spat out entertained.

"I'm twenty-three."

Dr. Stewart grinned looking at her, "I remember you…" Chiya looked at Dr. Stewart passionately, forgetting that he was actually an ally, having helped her fight off Goroh's pirates. "You're Lieutenant Seppuku's accomplice" he joked.

Chiya crossed her arms at him while grinning, "Chiya Flower, and my vehicle; the Purring Kitten" she introduced.

Dr. Stewart slightly bowed to her, impressed with her talent, "Not bad, you had both Baba and me on a run for our money all race."

Baba smirked at the Doctor, "Speak for yourself…"

Bio Rex and Pico walked away without saying anything, merely interested with Chiya's initial appearance after leading everyone for so long. Chiya smiled realizing that Dr. Stewart was alright, Baba was just plainly an egoistic jerk, but not a criminal. Chiya was trying her best to appear strong and unbreakable to the two.

"I'll see you guys on the track next Grand Prix then…"

Dr. Stewart and Baba both appeared startled by her challenge, Stewart intrigued by her desire to race in the big league. "How about a non-aggression pact between us when that day comes?" Dr. Stewart proposed.

A non-aggression pact was the guarantee that two racers would not combat each other on the track, yet still racing against each other. Baba rubbed the back of his head looking at her, "Me too…" he requested from Chiya silently.

Chiya was surprised that she already had two racers wanting nothing to do with her on the track, smiling with determination, "For sure" she said agreeing to both racers.

Seppuku and Earl sat in the bar with Silver Neelson and Beastman, waiting for Chiya to arrive. Seppuku and Earl were arguing with each other over Chiya's performance on the track.

"She was probably playing with her air while in the air…she clearly was distracted!" Seppuku challenged.

Earl lowered his eyebrows angrily, "That was a lot of pressure for a newcomer, you can't lecture her about one mistake…"

"She did the first two jumps perfectly, why not the third one?"

Earl looked around the room feeling cornered, he didn't know that Chiya attempted all three jumps, as he was flirting with a girl during the second attempt. "I didn't see her jump three times…"

"Because you was hitting on someone at the time" Chiya answered walking towards the table. Earl and Seppuku turned towards the happy looking Chiya, surprised that she wasn't depressed, "Are you from Sand Ocean? Because you're very hot young lady!" she said in a goofy accent.

Earl looked at her offended, "Okay…alright!"

Chiya laughed at this, then looking at Seppuku not pressured by him, "I'll win next time."

Seppuku shook his head negatively, "From what I saw, you wo-"

"I'll _win_ next time."

Seppuku gritted his teeth, being knocked back by Chiya's determination to win, he simply nodded agreeing with her. "Fine."

Silver smiled at Chiya also impressed with her driving, "You're bringing back the fun into F-Zero…I look forward to racing against you…" the old man said shaking her hand.

Chiya turned back towards Seppuku and Earl, now happy with the accomplishment she made today, it was not first place, but still proved that she could win against F-Zero racers, having beat six other racers. They had a long ways to go before the Grand Prix would start, the way things were going at the moment, she would definitely make it in time for the next annual Grand Prix, but the deal remained; until the gang war of Mute City ended, Seppuku would not be willing to register her as a racer. The war had to end.

To be continued!


End file.
